A Very Puckleberry Redo
by gilesc3
Summary: Ever wonder what would have happened if Rachel hadn't rejoined Glee in "The Rhodes Not Taken"? Well, this is a look at how that decision would have changed the lives of not only Rachel, but the entire Glee club. Will be AU, but not completely. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is my first stab at a Glee fanfiction. I'm not entirely sure how it will turn out, or if I will be able to portray the characters adequately. But I'm going to try my hardest! So this is going to be a Puckleberry story, but there will be some other pairings before we get to there. **

**I didn't want to just jump into them being in love, because I think that's ridiculous, so we'll probably see some Finchel along the way. But no worries, it will be very brief. I hope you guys like this and please review and let me know what you think and any errors I made.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything associated with the show, sadly. **

**/*/**

Chapter 1: Nowhere to go

Rachel watched as New Directions performed on stage, with _that_ woman singing the lead. She couldn't believe that Mr. Schuester actually allowed April Rhodes anywhere near the stage, _her_ stage. She was obviously a desperate move on his part, since he knew they couldn't make it without her.

_Berry, she's completely taken your place. No one misses you and the only reason Finn wanted you back was to get a scholarship. Face it, you've been replaced._

_But they won't really be able to go far. I mean, she's ancient! And a drunk!_

_But she's the one up in the spot light, isn't she? She's getting a standing ovation while you get slushy facials. And now that you've quit the play, __**again**__, you really have nowhere to go. No one wants you and you've lost any place you might have actually been able to shine. Good luck getting to Broadway when you aren't even in a choir group._

_SHUT UP! I'm a star and I will make! I have to make it!_

Rachel knew that she was extremely stressed when she started arguing with herself, but the sight of April Rhodes getting the applause that Rachel deserved was too much for her. She had planned to ask the Gleeks to allow her back into the group, but after witnessing the performance, she knew they wouldn't want her back.

_That's right, because April Rhodes is actually a phenomenal singer. And she's got stage presence. Just look at Finn dance around her. Why would they want a loser like you when they can have someone like her?_

Rachel felt her eyes tear up at the thoughts running through her head. She had to get out of the auditorium before she literally broke down in front of everyone. She quickly made her way to her car and went home before she could make a fool of herself, not wanting to suffer any more humiliation than she already endured.

/*/

The next day, Rachel made her way to Coach Sylvester's office, ducking into empty rooms and bathrooms anytime she saw a Cheerio or a letterman's jacket. She did not want to get slushied for the second time that day, having already changed into her spare outfit. Once she was certain she was safe, she approached the woman's door before knocking. After waiting a few seconds for the cue to enter, Rachel slowly pushed open the door.

Sue Sylvester had been watching a video of the Cheerios' practice from the day before when the knock came. When Rachel Berry entered, she let out a long suffering sigh before motioning Berry to step closer to her desk.

"What can I do for you Rachelle?"

"I know that I abandoned you _again_, but I would really like to come back to the play. I know my professionalism has not been up to par of a lead, but I can do better. I know I left you without an adequate explanation, even though you allowed me to rejoin and take the reins. And I'm very sorry for not appreciating the chances you took on me. But I promise that if you let me back in I will make it the performance of my life. I –"

"Whoa, let me stop you right there. I hate to inform you, but the play has been cancelled. After you left us, Ryerson made himself the lead. And I couldn't in good consciousness allow him to perform in front of students. So it has been cancelled."

"But I could direct it Coach. I know all about how plays working and how scenes should be staged and –"

"Sorry Rachelle, but you lost your chance. Now if you don't mind, I have to get back to work. My Cheerios are _stars_ after all, and they need the best coaching possible."

Rachel bit her lip as she was dismissed, trying not to let the tears fall. She left the office, her shoulders slumped. She couldn't believe that she actually had nothing left anymore. She had no place to practice her craft, nowhere to shine. And no place to make friends or teammates. She was truly alone now.

Rachel was heading towards her locker to grab her lunch when she passed the choir room, the voices inside causing her to pause.

"I c…can't believe s…she actually w…won't come back. I t…thought she l…loved Glee." Tina's voice echoed through the room. Rachel looked around the hallway, making sure no one was paying attention before she eased herself closer to the open door, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Please, she loves getting all the solos. When she didn't get her way she threw a tantrum and stormed out. Rachel doesn't like sharing the spot light, and I'm glad she's gone. She can have her spotlight in the musical; I'll take the one in Glee." Mercedes replied, her dislike for the small girl evident.

"Actually, I heard the musical was cancelled." Artie supplied.

"That's great. That means she'll definitely come back now."

"And what makes you think we _want_ her back Frankenteen? I think RaPaul got what was coming to her."

"Shut up Santana! We can't make it to nationals without her. And I thought we were supposed to be her friends and teammates." Finn shot back, trying to defend her.

"Manhands doesn't have any friends. No one wants to be associated with that freak." Quinn's voice was sharp, like a whip slashing through the air to cut down any of Finn's replies.

"Alright guys, let's forget about Rachel and focus on getting prepared for sectionals." Mr. Schuester's voice cut through the conversation, clearly wanting to get back to business. Rachel dashed away from the door when she heard the scrap of chairs, signaling that the clubbers had risen.

_Well there's definitely not a question about how they feel about you. You blew your chances with them, and now you don't have anywhere else to go. How are you going to make it to Broadway without being in Glee? You've completely sabotaged any chances of achieving your dreams. I hope it was worth it Berry, because you'll never get out of Lima now._

Rachel pushed the thoughts away, not wanting to give into the blubbering that was close to the surface. She already got daily slushy facials; she didn't want to add the humiliation of crying in front of her unsympathetic classmates. She simply could not bear for that to happen, not with how the week had turned out.

/*/

After her last class, Rachel once more made her way to her locker, glad that at least it was Friday. This meant that she at least had two days to herself before she once more had to endure the taunts, cold beverages, and overall hell that was her high school experience. She had just reached the metal door when she saw Santana leaning up against the locker next to hers, a slushy in her hand. She smiled evilly at Rachel before tossing it in her face, reaching out to rub the corn syrup coated ice into her hair.

"There you go Yentl. You look better already. It's a drastic improvement on that god-awful sweater. Whoever told you that animal sweaters were attractive must have really hated you." Santana laughed as the cherry ice melted into the material of her sweater, permanently staining it. She made sure that all the drink was on Rachel before sauntering off, where she met up with Quinn and some other Cheerios, laughing at Rachel.

Taking a deep breath and swiping the sticky beverage from her eyes, Rachel quickly grabbed her books and her trolley bag before rushing to the bathroom, the students she passed laughing and taunting her as she went. Once she had absorbed as much liquid into paper towels, she washed her face before leaving the school, not bathing trying to clean her hair. Santana had made sure that the drink was literally on her scalp, and Rachel just wanted to take a hot shower and forget how much her life sucked.

/*/

Stepping into her closet, Rachel was about to pull on a sweater when Santana's words echoed through her head. She starred at the picture of a unicorn, not understanding why people were so concerned with what she wore.

_Children are starving and they're worried about what I wear. That is completely ridiculous!_

_Yeah, but Berry, wouldn't you love to go through a day without being slushied? Or picked on? If you just stopped wearing them, then you might actually go unnoticed!_

_But my dads love these! _

_That's because they make you look like, what did Santana say before. A grandmother, yet a kindergartener at the same time. Your dads want you to wear these because they know no one would want to date you when you look like this._

_But Finn showed an interest in me. And who cares what I wear? They're my clothes and I like my sweaters! I've been wearing them for…_

_Too long! You haven't updated your wardrobe in years. And when one outfit is ruined, you just buy a replacement one. And Finn doesn't like you that much._

_I just…screw this! I am tired of being humiliated!_

As if she was possessed by an enraged, animal-sweater-hatting force, Rachel ripped the offending clothes off their hangers. Once they were all off their hangers, Rachel gathered them up and rushed downstairs, shoving them into a garbage bag before running outside. She slammed the bag into the trashcan; her breathing raged as she slammed the lid down and wheeled it out to the curb, where it would be picked up the next day.

Once she was back on her front porch, Rachel was gasping for air, her mind clearing of the broken record of insults that had been a soundtrack in her head.

"What have I done?" Rachel whispered, her eyes glued to the green trashcan. She couldn't believe she had actually done such a thing; something that was completely unbecoming of a lady. She was about to make her way back to the curb when a truck pulled up into her driveway. When Noah Puckerman jumped out of the vehicle, Rachel's eyes widened in disbelief. Even though the two had known each other for most of their lives, had gone to the only Jewish Temple in Lima all their lives, they tended to avoid each other as much as possible. Well, except when Puck threw a slushy at her.

"What in the world are you doing here Noah?" Rachel's voice showed her surprise at seeing him, and her weariness as to why exactly he was standing on her front porch with her.

"It's Puck, Berry. And ma wanted me to check on you, since she had to go to work. Apparently your fathers asked her to keep an eye on you. So here I am." Puck shrugged, his face showing his reluctance at being there. Rachel rolled her eyes at him, moving to step back inside.

"Well, as you can see, I am perfectly fine. You may tell your mother that I appreciate her concern and I hope she and Eli are doing well." Rachel responded before attempting to close the door. Her efforts were for naught, however, as Puck's foot blocked the door from closing.

"Look Berry, I don't want to be here either, but I promised my ma that I would make sure you were okay. She made it clear that I was to check your food supply." Puck's voice almost growled, yes growled, in his irritation. _I'm a fucking badass and I have to look after Rachel fucking Berry. The guys can __**never**__ find out about this!_

Rachel rolled her eyes again and moved away from the door, her years of experience with the Puckerman family having taught her that Noah did not leave until he had fulfilled his word to his mother. He was a complete and utter jackass to the rest of the world, but she knew how much he loved his family, and he never willingly broke his promises to Leah Puckerman. She made her way to the kitchen, knowing he would follow her.

Even though they had tried to avoid each other as much as possible, the fact that the Jewish community was so small, Hirman and Leroy Berry were fast friends with Leah Puckerman, meaning the two teens had to see more of each other than they would have liked. Even with this forced interaction, they barely ever spoke to each other, instead completely ignoring the other person. After all, the Berry men did not know to what extent Puck bullied their daughter, and he didn't want to inform them. And Rachel would not stoop to the level of tattle telling to her parents.

"See, the fridge is completely stocked, so you can go now." Rachel bit out, opening the doors and showing Puck the large amount of fruits and vegetables that filled the shelves. He shook his head, not understanding just how she could only eat rabbit's food. He couldn't go more than four hours without wanting a burger.

"Fine, great. Glad that was so easy. I guess I'll see you Sunday." Puck said, heading back towards the front door.

"Sunday?"

"Yeah, you know the annual bash? The one that happens every year?" Puck gave her a look that spoke of his thoughts about her mental capabilities. Rachel frowned, having completely forgotten about it. It was a "party" that all members were _required_ to attend (unless you're out of town, like the Berry men or worked nights) to try and get everyone to interact.

"I forgot is all. No need to look at me like that Noah. It simply slipped my mind. I will see you Sunday." She said before shoving the taller teen out of her house and slamming the door in his annoyed face. Sighing to herself, Rachel moved towards the kitchen, completely forgetting about wanting to save her sweaters now that she was focused on the fact that she didn't have anything to wear.

Deciding to go on a small shopping trip the next day, Rachel made herself a fruit salad before going to the living room, where she watched _The Sound of Music_, letting the music and story wash over her and drive all remaining negative thoughts from her mind.

/*/

_Sunday_

Rachel sat at one of the round tables, watching various people around the room. Usually, she would be up and mingling, but since Friday, she had just felt too down to do much of anything. Besides homeworking and buying some new clothes, including the deep blue eyelet tube dress she was wearing, she had done almost nothing over the weekend. It seemed as if she was stuck in a rut with no way out or the will power to find one. She knew it was a complete 360 from her usual attitude, but Rachel couldn't find enough energy to care.

She was about to plug her headphones in when a small pixie hurtled into her. She grabbed Eliana before the young girl could fall, making sure she had her feet back under her before releasing her.

"Are you alright Eli?" Rachel asked, not able to keep the affection from her voice. She might hate Eli's brother, but she adored the small dark-haired girl.

"I'm okay Rachel. But please sing! Please please please! Everyone wants to hear you sing." The bundle of energy was bouncing in her sparkling shoes, a wide smile on her face. She idolized Rachel and wished she could grow up to be just like her, no matter what her mean brother said.

"Oh, not tonight Eli. I'm not really feeling all that well. Maybe some other time." Rachel tried to be as gentle as possible, knowing that Eli could be quick to tears. This proved true when Eli's lips began to tremble and her eyes watered. Rachel hated when Eli cried, even though she knew the tears had to be fake most of the time.

"Eli, don't cry. What if I sing one song? Will that be okay?" Eli nodded vigorously, reaching her small hand out to take Rachel's and practically drag her to the karaoke machine that was set up against one wall. Rachel was surprised when she saw Noah already next to the machine, a deep frown on his face and a glare tracking her movements.

"Oh, Eli I don't think this is a good idea." Rachel tried to pull away from the girl, but Eli was having none of it. She practically pushed Rachel next to Noah before running over to pick out which song she wanted them to sing. Rachel glanced at Noah, but he was still glaring at her so she quickly looked away. She took the mike Eli shoved into her hand before taking a breath and turning towards Noah, regretting not going on the cruise with her fathers even more. When the music started, both their eyes grew wide, their gazes whipping over to Eli, who just smiled broadly at them before moving over to stand with her friends.

(Rachel, **Puck, **_Together)_

"Tell me how I'm supposed to breath with no air

If I should die before I wake

It's cause you took my breath away

Losing you is like living in a world with no air

Oh

**I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave**

**My heart won't move, it's incomplete**

**If there was a way that I can make you understand**

But how do you expect me

to live alone with jus me

'Cause my world revolves around you

It's so hard for me to breathe

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breath with no air_

_Can't live, can't breathe with no air_

_It's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

_It's no air, no air_

_Got me out here in the water so deep_

_Tell me how you gon' be without me_

_If you ain't here, I just can't breathe_

_It's no air, no air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

**I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew**

**Right off the ground to float to you**

**There's no gravity to hold me down for real**

But somehow I'm still alive inside

You took my breath, but I survived

I don't know how, but I don't even care

_But how do you expect me_

_To live alone with just me_

'_Cause my world revolves around you _

_It's so hard for me to breath_

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breath with no air_

_Can't live, can't breathe with no air_

_It's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

_It's no air, no air_

_Got me out here in the water so deep_

_Tell me how you gon' be without me_

_If you ain't here, I just can't breathe_

_It's no air, no air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No more_

_It's no air, no air_

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breath with no air_

_Can't live, can't breathe with no air_

_It's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

_It's no air, no air_

_Got me out here in the water so deep_

_Tell me how you gon' be without me_

_If you ain't here, I just can't breathe_

_It's no air, no air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No more_

_It's no air, no air_

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breath with no air_

_Can't live, can't breathe with no air_

_It's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

_It's no air, no air_

_Got me out here in the water so deep_

_Tell me how you gon' be without me_

_If you ain't here, I just can't breathe_

_It's no air, no air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

As their voices trailed off, Rachel couldn't pry her eyes away from Noah, who was starring so intently at her she felt as if his gaze was scalding. She wasn't sure how long they stood there, eyes locked, but she could feel heat rising from her stomach up to her chest and finally to her cheeks. His eyes flicked down to watch the blush spread before he smirked at her and sauntered away. Rachel shook her head to clear it, not understanding why singing with Noah had affected her to such a degree.

_You just haven't sung in a while, it was the excitement of singing. That's all. You like Finn, not Noah. Finn, the good, wholesome boy. Not the bad boy!_

_Yeah, he's so wholesome he got his girlfriend pregnant and tried to manipulate you back into glee._

Shaking her head to try and get rid of the bizarre thoughts, Rachel smiled at Eli, who was still clapping loudly, before she moved back to her seat. She shoved her ear buds in, wanting to tune out her surroundings until it was acceptable for her to make her exit. She could feel a gaze on her, and when she turned to look, Noah was staring at her intently, which made her blush again before turning back to her iPod. For the rest of the evening, that heated gaze never left her, which meant Rachel was almost running out of the building to escape it.

Rachel didn't understand why Noah seemed so interested in her, especially considering that before Glee, their interactions consisted of mainly bullying. But even as she tried to come up with an answer, she couldn't stop the blush that kept spreading over her whenever she felt the heavy stare. She just hoped he wasn't trying to come up with an even more humiliating form of bullying for the next day.

**Please Review! Let me know what you think!**

**Song: "No Air" by Jordan Sparks**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I know the first chapter was not really up to par with my usual standards, but I finished writing it at 5 o'clock in the morning. So I'm hoping that all future chapters will be better written and thought out. I just had to get that chapter off my brain, as it's been haunting me for weeks. So I hope you will enjoy this chapter.**

**So I am making them on an A Day and B Day schedule, which is what I had at all 3 of the high schools I attended. I know they've begun to try and change that, but I like the swapping days, so that's what I'm using. It was never truly clear in the show, exactly when the Glee club met, so I'm saying every day after school, and sometimes during lunch. **

**Thank you for the reviews, story alerts, and favorites I've received so far. I am hoping that this chapter will bring about more actual reviews, so I've got my fingers crossed. So Read and REVIEW! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Glee. I would love to own Mark Salling, even if only for one day; but, sadly that is not reality. **

**/*/**

Chapter 2: Didn't See That Coming

Puck slowly made his way down the hallway, in no hurry to _actually_ attend his next class. He would have just said fuck it, except his mom had received another call from the school and he had had to listen to her rave about his delinquent attitude towards life.

Usually, mama Puckerman was laid back and only got angry when his indiscretions were brought to light; but when those events were acknowledge, Puck swore the entire neighborhood could hear her shrieks. He wouldn't give a rat's ass about it, except she always brought up how he was turning into his father. And that was just not cool! He was **nothing** like the man who sired him. Nothing. Puck always disregarded any similarities because he refused to be linked with the man, even when his mother's words rang true.

Puck spotted one of his teammates, Andrews, heading towards him with a slushy in his hands. Puck was about to unleash hell on the boy, thinking he would _dare_ throw the drink on him, Puck the resident **badass**! But he saw Andrews veer to the right, heading towards a girl standing in front of some lockers. He turned to see who the victim was and to maybe cheer Andrews on, when he saw the intended victim was Rachel Berry.

_Should I warn her? What? No! I'm Puckerone, the current badass of Lima. There is __**no**__**way**__ I am defending a geek! I don't care what ma said, I don't have to look out for Berry at school. Berry can look out for herself._

With that decided, Puck ignored the completely _unbadass _feeling of letting his mom down somehow by not saying something. But he was not the one doing the slushing, so he shouldn't be concerned with it. Yet, he couldn't completely stamp that feeling down, and he watched as the girl shut her locker before spotting Andrews. Puck actually had to clamp his mouth shut to keep himself from drawing the footballer's attention, as he knew everyone in the hall was watching as the figure approached the short girl.

_Man up Puck. For fucks sake, you're a badass. You can handle the looks and rumors from defending her. Stop being such a pussy._

Puck rolled his eyes at himself and stepped forward, reaching out to grab Andrews's shoulder. But just as he was about to pull the boy back, Rachel twirled, yes _twirled_, out of the way and the slushy, which landed on a Cheerio who had been standing behind her, waiting to laugh at her. Puck cringed as the girl gave out a god awful shriek before slapping Andrews and stalking off. Berry gave them this small smirk, which Puck hadn't seen in years, before grabbing the handle of her bag and sauntering off.

_That was pretty badass for a geek. _

Puck was still in shock over Berry's actions as he made his way to class. He couldn't believe she had been able to do that, and the thought that she could have done that long before now kept bugging him. If she could simply move out of the way, why did she allow him and his fell classmates to bully her?

_Whatever, it's not like you care. You did __**not**__ notice how that skirt flared around her legs when she moved, exposing even more skin. And you definitely didn't notice the tight, very unsweaterish shirt she was wearing. Nope…Fuck!_

Puck slammed himself down in his desk, trying to remove the image of Rachel's tan legs out of his mind. Thinking about her that way would do nothing but frustrate him, so he turned his thoughts to Quinn, wondering how she was feeling and if she was taking care of his, yes _his_, baby.

/*/

Rachel hummed to herself as she exited her last class, World History, and headed towards her locker. She ignored the stares and whispers that followed her, used to being the center of the mockery that was high school. She had learned to just ignore everyone, as they were merely stepping stones on her way to Broadway. So yes, their words and actions hurt her feelings and made her cry sometimes, but Rachel refused to let them hold her back; to keep her from reaching for her dreams.

Upon reaching her destination, Rachel sighed dramatically when she saw who was waiting for her. She never understood why Jacob Ben-Israel had such a fascination with her, as she had _never_ given him any indication that she was interested in him. It was not only that he did not meet her requirement for attractiveness, as that would have been a lot more shallow than Rachel wanted to admit, but he was also extremely disturbing and intrusive. She had even found him in a tree outside her room one night, which had scarred her for months, if not life.

"What do you want Jacob?" Rachel asked in an exacerbated voice, opening her locker to collect her things before heading home, since she didn't have Glee practice to go to anymore. _Although, if the Glee club is in the choir room, then maybe I can use the auditorium. I need to check to see if they have it reserved._

"The school is just buzzing with talk about how you managed to miss being slushied. _Twice_ if my sources are correct and someone tried again during lunch. So inquisitive minds want to know…why are you just now starting to use you _awesome_ _moves_ to avoid the icy cold justice for being an outcast?" Jacob's voice had taken on a higher pitch when asking about her "moves", indicating that just the mere thought about how she could move was, ick, turning him on.

"I'm just finally standing up for myself. I do not condom violence, so avoidance has been my aim. After a few days, or a few weeks, the jocks will grow tiresome of this pointless game they seem to love making me the target of. Now if you'll excuse me." Rachel tried to move away, but with the halls full with students milling around now that school was over, she would have had to push past the annoying creature, and Rachel did not want to let any part of her body touch his.

"Ah…see some people, myself included, think it has more to do with _who_ is the one doing the slushing. You never had a problem before when _Puckerman_ was the responsible party. Some think you didn't mind so much when it was _him_. And now that I think about it, the two of you were awfully close that one summer-"

Rachel clamped her hand over Jacob's mouth quickly, not wanting any of the bystanders to hear. She grimaced when she felt the slimy feel of his lips on her palm before she removed her hand.

"You listen to me Jacob Ben-Israel, if you so much as breathe or _type_ a word of this to anyone, I will be having a talking with your mother about the activities you've been getting up to outside my house! Do you understand? I have not informed the authorities because I do not want to be responsible for the demise of your future, but if you push this, I will make good on my threat." Rachel glared as hard as she could at the boy before spinning on her heal and marching away, her backpack almost leaving smoke in its wake.

_That slimy, repugnant little…Gah! I can't believe he would even dare to bring that summer up! Okay, focus Rachel; you need to see if the auditorium is in use. You know that you can deal with Jacob if you have to._

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Rachel approached one set of the double doors that led to the auditorium, the one that had the signup sheet posted out front. When she saw there the Glee club was not signed up for the open slot, instead the Glee boys were signed up for the next space. Rachel quickly pulled out a pen to sign her name, forgoing a golden star because she only had about twenty minutes before the boys were to arrive.

Once on stage, Rachel tried to imagine the seats being filled with adoring fans, instead of hostile observers. She knew that this was as good as she was going to get before graduating, since she would not be part of the performances for sectionals, or regionals, and so on. But the thought of that fact brought back the words she had overheard, the contempt that most, if not all, students seemed to have for her.

_I'll show them! I'm going to be the Broadway star and most of the student body won't even leave the state for college. They'll know what a mistake they made about me when they see my name up in lights!_

Once more clutching at her determination to succeed, Rachel hooked up her iPod to the stereo that always seemed to be there before selecting her song. She once more stood in the center front of the stage, closing her eyes to picture the roaring applause she would one day receive for merely stepping up on stage. When her cue started, Rachel opened her eyes and belted out one of her favorite Barbra songs, her voice filled with so much pent up emotion that Rachel was a little shocked herself.

"Don't tell me not to live,  
Just sit and putter,  
Life's candy and the sun's  
A ball of butter.  
Don't bring around a cloud  
To rain on my parade.  
Don't tell me not to fly-  
I've simply got to.  
If someone takes a spill,  
It's me and not you.  
Who told you you're allowed  
To rain on my parade!  
I'll march my band out,  
I'll beat my drum,  
And if I'm fanned out,  
Your turn at bat, sir.  
At least I didn't fake it.  
Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it!  
But whether I'm the rose  
Of sheer perfection,  
Or freckle on the nose  
Of life's complexion,  
The cinder or the shiny apple of it's eye,  
I gotta fly once,  
I gotta try once,  
Only can die once, right, sir?  
Ooh, love is juicy,  
Juicy, and you see  
I gotta have my bite, sir!  
Get ready for me, love,  
'cause I'm a comer,  
I simply gotta march,  
My heart's a drummer.  
Don't bring around a cloud  
To rain on my parade!

I'm gonna live and live now,  
Get what I want-i know how,  
One roll for the whole shebang,  
One throw, that bell will go clang,  
Eye on the target-and wham-  
One shot, one gun shot, and bam-  
Hey, mister arnstein, here I am!  
I'll march my band out,  
I will beat my drum,  
And if I'm fanned out,  
Your turn at bat, sir,  
At least I didn't fake it.  
Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it.  
Get ready for me, love,  
'cause I'm a comer,  
I simply gotta march,  
My heart's a drummer.  
Nobody, no, nobody  
Is gonna rain on my parade! "

Rachel threw her arms out at the last notes, her voice completely filling the room, even without the use of a microphone. Once the song was over, she took another deep breath before heading back to her IPod, thinking she had another few minutes to sing one more song. But she was brought out of her euphoria at her performance by the round of claps that sounded.

Spinning around in surprise, Rachel saw all the Glee boys heading down the aisle, Puck and Finn carrying Artie. She quickly grabbed her stuff before heading to the stage stairs, not wanting to get insulted or berated for being there. She reached the floor the same time the boys did, and Rachel was a little surprised at the smile on some of their faces.

"That was really good Rachel." Finn said, giving her his goofy lopsided smile that she found so charming. She tried to ignore the flutter it caused in her stomach, understanding that what she felt for the tall boy was merely infatuation and respect for his vocal abilities. She gave him a weird look because it appeared as if he could barely keep his eyes open, but Rachel reminded herself that it was not her responsibility, or _right_, to worry about him in any more-than-friend type of way.

"Thank you Finn. I didn't mean to take up your guys' time. I thought I had a few more minutes. Excuse me." Rachel said, reaching for the handle of her bag. But the boys just stared at her, not moving to allow her passage.

"We were a little early, actually. So is it true, were you really able to avoid being slushied?" Kurt asked, his disbelief evident. I mean, if she had been able to do that all the time, then why did she only start doing so now? Rachel straightened her spine a little, irritated that he would doubt her abilities. She did not get to respond, however because the raspy voice of one Noah Puckerman spilled over the group.

"I don't know about this afternoon, but she did this morning. It was fucking epic! You should have seen Chelsea's face when the slushy landed on her! That girl shrieks like a banshee, though, so my ears hurt afterward. But ya, Lance Bass, she did. Got a problem with it?" Puck's question ended on a more, well threatening note, his glare at Kurt making the others' eye brows to shoot up in surprise. Since when was Noah Puckerman defending Rachel Berry?

"Thank you Noah, but I can understand the doubt. Kurt, I simply do not wish to put up with the actions my fellow classmates take against me, especially when I have done nothing to earn their actions. I know I am not liked or respected in this school for my talent, but I refuse to roll over and take it any longer." Rachel ground out, her hurt over the Glee members' words and opinions making her voice sharper than she intended. But not taking people's bullying included the Glee club, even if she had tried to make friends with them before. Kurt huffed and moved towards the stage, obviously ready to get to work.

"So does this mean you're coming back to glee?" Rachel was surprised at Mike's question, having never really talked with him before. She gave a small smile and shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry to say that I am not. I don't want to be a part of a group that not only doesn't appreciate me and what I can bring, but also goes out of their way to make my life miserable. Why would anyone want to be part of something like that?"

"But, Rachel, we're your friends. I know the others can be mean, but…well you're the best singer at this school and we really need you." Finn said, trying to agree to return. It was a little hard to focus, however, so his words came out a little slurry.

"I would like to believe you Finn, but I heard what they said about me on Friday. I know you defended me, and I appreciate that. But I also know that probably put you on the bad side of Quinn, as she definitely hates me. And I don't want to return just because you _need_ me to win, I want to be _wanted_." Rachel could feel her eyes beginning to water, and she fought against the feelings of loneliness she was having by simply talking about how alone she really was.

"We don't hate you Rachel. Sure, you can be super irritating, but that doesn't mean we actually hate you." Artie said, feeling guilty for the small part he had played in last Friday's conversation. The girl just gave a tight smile before edging her way past them. She was surprised when she felt a large, warm hand wrap around her wrist and halt her progression. Looking back, she was startled to see the burning hazel gaze of Noah starring up at her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" His voice quite, not wanting to draw attention to them from the boys who had started to move towards the stage.

"Yes Noah, I am fine. I appreciate the concern, however." Rachel's voice was equally as quite, not sure what had brought about the bad boy's concern. Noah just shrugged at her questioning look before releasing her and joining his teammates. Rachel made her way out of the auditorium and headed towards the parking lot, not able to stop herself from peeking into the choir room. Whatever Mr. Schue had come up with for that week's lesson obviously was pitting the sexes against each other, as the room's occupants were the Glee girls. But from the looks of it, they had no idea what they were doing, as _no one_ looked to be doing work of the musical nature. Rachel had to fight the urge to march in there and demand they get to work, instead she pushed to impulses down and drove home.

/*/

The next morning (Tuesday), Rachel shocked out of her thoughts as she was shoved from behind in the parking lot. She stumbled before catching herself, whipping around to see who had dared to touch her. She was met with a face of slushy by a hockey player, who's name Rachel couldn't even begin to remember. She sputtered in indignation, which quickly turned into a shriek of outrage as the boy lifted her up and threw her in the dumpster. She could hear his hysterical chuckling as he slammed the lid shut and walked away. Trying not to breath, Rachel pushed at the lid, surprised at how heavy it actually seemed. Whipping at her eyes to get a better view, she pushed the lid off and was met with the horrified face of Tina and Artie. Tina had been trying to get the lid open, which she found had locked, before she was able to lift it off the girl.

"Are you okay Rachel?" Tina asked, letting Rachel use her grip as leverage to jump out of the dumpster. She tried to smooth down her skirt, but Rachel knew she would be going back home before attending class.

"Thank you Tina, I appreciate the hand. I cannot believe the nerve of some people!" Rachel literally stomped her foot in irritation, which turned to full fledge ripped open, the zipper broken and her books scattered around. She bit hard on her lip to keep from yelling and bent down to put everything back in her bag. She gave Tina a smile of thanks when she helped her.

"I can't believe someone would do this to you! Did you see who it was?" Artie asked, trying not to draw attention to them. Rachel was currently covered not only in garbage, but her face and hair was coated in the melting red slushy.

"Oh, yeah I got a look alright." Rachel said, the anger clear in her voice. Tina and Artie exchanged a look, never having heard her speak so harshly before. The three parted ways as Rachel hurried to her car with her bag in her hands, which she practically threw into the backseat before grabbing the poncho she always kept in the car and sliding it over her, not wanting to ruin her seat.

Once she got home, Rachel grabbed her stuff and marched inside, throwing her shoes back outside, not wanting to trek anything into the house. She then proceeded to strip, right there in the foyer and threw those close outside with her shoes. She stomped upstairs to take a shower, her bitterness and anger over not only this episode, but all those that came before it making her see red. Her usually calm and rational mind was ablaze, and Rachel couldn't find the willpower to try and think clearly.

Once scrubbed completely from head to toe, Rachel threw open her closet doors to try and figure out what to wear. Now that she didn't have any more animal sweaters, she had to choose from either her remaining shirts or the new ones she had purchased. She wanted to make a statement, wanted to actually stand out from the crowd; but she didn't want to look like a tramp. Going through her options, Rachel settled on a new red number, which was a tank top, but the sales assistant had called it a bra tank top, meaning there was a daring (for Rachel) neckline that showed off her cleavage while also being flowy after the stitched band under her breasts. To go with that shirt, Rachel pulled out a pair of tight (like skin tight) dark blue jeans and the black ankle boots she used for glee.

Not giving herself time to rethink her choice, Rachel hurried back into the bathroom to curl her hair and actually apply some makeup (nothing drastic, just some cover up, mascara and eye-liner). Once she was done, Rachel pulled on her outfit, a little shocked at the girl standing in front of the mirror. _I never knew I could look like that!_ Rachel turned so she could see her back, and was a little surprised at how nice her bottom looked. Rolling her eyes at her thoughts, Rachel grabbed a light black half sweater before heading downstairs. She grabbed the unused black backpack with colorful polka dots from the closet and transferred the necessary materials from her ruined trolley bag. Once complete, Rachel grabbed a trash bag and stuffed her old book bag, clothes, and shoes into it before dumping it into the trash can.

_Now it's time for some payback!_

/*/

The news of Rachel's humiliation had spread quickly through McKinley High, with most of the student body being aware of the event by lunch. Many, especially the "populars" believed Rachel Berry got what she deserved, especially after the two failed attempts to slushy her and put her in her place. Others, especially Tina and Artie, felt bad for the girl, who had seemed to take several steps forward with regards to not being bullied anymore, only to be knocked back. The two had shared the occurrence with the other Glee members, but they had tried to make it clear that Rachel did _not_ deserve such treatment. But, like one would expect, a lot of the clubbers just shrugged their shoulders and went about gossiping about it.

This love of gossip is what brought not only most of the Glee club outside, but most of the school that had lunch that hour. It didn't hurt that the weather was still nice, only cool when one stepped into the shade. Tina tried not to partake in the hurtful chatter, since she couldn't get Rachel's face, the horrified look covered with red corn syrup, out of her mind. She was going to head back inside, wanting to distance herself from the other students, when she saw non-other than Rachel Berry marching through the quad, a slushy held tightly in her hands.

Rachel surveyed the students milling around, focusing her attention on finding her target. Once she spotted the hockey players, and her attacker specifically, Rachel gripped the cold drink tightly before marching purposefully towards the ring of laughing Neanderthals. Her pursuit was cut short, however, when Tina darted in front of her.

"Hey R…Rachel! What a…are you d…doing? Are you t…thirsty? It is kinda hot o…out. Is that a n…new shirt?" Tina babbled, not knowing exactly what Rachel planned on doing. But the determined look on her face, and the scary gleam in her eye clued Tina into it being something she was sure the brunette would regret later.

"Hello Tina. Yes it is a little hot out today, and yes, this is a new shirt. Now, if you'd excuse me, I have some business I have to take care of." Rachel said, moving past the Goth girl. Tina watched as Rachel continued her trek across the quad towards the hockey players, uncertain if she should try to interfere again. But she really didn't want to end up with that slushy on herself, which she was afraid Rachel might do out of anger, so she moved back over to Artie, Kurt, and Mercedes who were all captivity watching the small girl walk towards her attacker.

By this time, most of the students had spotted her and the place had gone almost completely quiet, as they waited to see what would go down. Puck was surprised to see Rachel at school again, as he had heard about what happened that morning and hadn't expected Berry to come back for the day. He had to appreciate the way her shirt hugged her pert boobs, especially since no one would have ever known she had such a nice rack under those hideous sweaters. Puck moved his eyes down to her legs, which he was a little sad were actually covered up. But when he saw the way the denim was like a second skin, molded to the curve of her ass and thighs, Puck let out a small appreciative breath. He could totally picture peeling Berry out of that sexy top and tight jeans.

As if she could feel his gaze, Puck was startled a little when he saw Rachel look over at him. She seemed to give him a sexy little smirk that Puck thought had to be his imagination before stopping before the hockey player, who Puck thought was named George or something like that. He edged closer, wanting to have a prime seat for his viewing pleasure, but also wanting to be close enough in case the hockey players retaliated. He might bully Rachel and other girls, but he never hit them. And he wouldn't stand for that to happen, which was so totally badass because real men didn't hit women.

Rachel glared at the boy in front of her before slowly setting the slushy down on table next to her. She glared at the people seated at the table, making it clear that no one was to touch the beverage. Once she was certain the drink would be safe, Rachel turned back to the smirking guy.

"What? You want to get thrown in the dumpster twice in one day?" The other hockey players laughed along with him, thinking the girl had to be insane to actually dare to approach them. Rachel gave a nasty smile before she pulled back her arm and swung it forward, punching (yes punching) him straight in the face. She tried not to cringe as the bones in her clenched fist began to ache. Instead she grabbed the shocked boy's shoulders before bringing her knee up into his crotch, putting not only all her body weight behind it, but also all her anger. The guy let out a wail as he dropped to the ground, clutching his package while blood dripped from his nose.

"You will **never** touch me again, do you understand me? You will never bully anyone in this school again! Who the fuck do you think you are? You're nothing, just a simple minded _hockey _player. The football team wouldn't even let you on, so that has to tell you something. But, since your brain is the size of a pea, I'll explain it. You're a Lima Loser, you'll always be a Lima Loser.

"You'll never leave Ohio, probably won't even leave Lima. In five years, you're going to be working at a fast-food job, not understanding why you never seem to move up in life. But me, oh, I'll be on Broadway with my name in lights. People will come from all across the country to hear me sing. I'll get paid more money for _one_ show than you will earn in your entire life. So you try and make high school your kingdom, but understand that you're the one that's stuck here. And you're not even the king in this high school, the football team runs this school.

"And you'll never be a badass, or whatever it is you're trying to accomplish by picking on people who have a future ahead of them. Do you know how many hockey scholarships there are? About ten (so made up, lol), which means your chances of going to college are quite slim. Football, however, has hundreds of opportunities for players, meaning many of this school's team will probably go to college.

"And everyone knows that Noah Puckerman is the biggest badass in Lima. You might think yourself above him now that he's in glee, but guess what? If he doesn't wish to pursue football in college, he could get a _music_ scholarship and go to any college he wants. And playing a guitar and singing to a girl is a surer way to get into her pants than trying not to get your head bashed into the ice. So you just try to be the resident badass, but I can guarantee you that Puck will wipe the floor with you; with all of you. Singing hasn't caused him to lose any muscle definition, and I'm sure you've all had your asses handed to you by him at one time or another.

"So you just think about that the next time you want to throw someone in the dumpster. Think about the fact that in a few years, they're going to be your bosses and have complete control over your careers. And the people in glee, the club everyone seems to think is for losers, I can guarantee that **all** of its members have the option of making music their futures. You might want to keep that in mind for the future, as most of the clubbers have excellent memories, and we'll remember you're faces and how you've treated us. So leave us the **hell** alone, or I'm sure we can find something to do to dissuade you, and you won't like it, I promise."

Rachel finished her speech to not only the shocked hockey players, but to everyone on the quad, before reaching over for the slushy and dumping on the downed boy. She glared at the ring of boys again before starting to march away. She wasn't very surprised when her shoulder was roughly pulled backwards, and she spun around, her already injured hand snapping out another punch. The boy cried out and clutched his nose, glaring at her. Rachel glared back before moving away, confident that they would leave her alone after seeing she was willing to fight them.

"Holy shit! Did you see that! I can't even begin to believe that just happened!" Mercedes screeched next to Kurt, watching as Rachel began to make her way back towards the school, the student moving out of the way to let her pass.

"She has more…guts than we ever gave her credit for, that's for sure. But you know they're going to retaliate, and I would hate to be her when that happens." Artie said.

"I don't k…know if they'll get t…the chance, look, s…she seems to h…have actually gained r…respect from the students. T…that's quite an a…accomplishment." Tina responded, as she peered at the students around her. Most of them had their phones out, undoubtedly blogging or texting about what had just happened. But most of them also had looks of respect on their faces for the small spitfire.

"And did you hear everything she said about Puck? I wonder what's going on there." Kurt said, pointing to the mohawked boy as he grabbed Rachel's hand and turned her around to face him. He was talking too quietly for them to hear, meaning they would just have to come up with their own ideas of the conversation based on the two's facial expressions.

"That was fucking amazing Berry." Puck said as he turned her around. Rachel gave him a blinding smile, showing she appreciated his words.

"Thank you Noah, I feel great. I just hope that they don't try to come after me over it, which I realize is wishful thinking on my part. Sorry to bring you into it, but you're the only one I thought would intimidate them" Rachel said, blushing a little.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I am the biggest badass in Lima, so you were just being truthful. And my ego got a nice _stroke_ from that." Puck said, his lips turning into a devilish smirk that had Rachel blushing harder. She might be naïve, but she had caught the innuendo of his words, and she couldn't stop herself from glancing down at his jeans, noting the slight swell. Puck saw her gaze, which caused the bulge to become more pronounced before he gave a raspy laugh.

"See something you like B?" Rachel's eyes snapped back up to his, her face feeling like it was on fire. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to play down her embarrassment.

"well, thank you for not minding that I used your reputation to my advantage."

"That's not the only thing you can _take advantage_ of." Puck leered, trying to see down her top. It was a lot easier, since the tank top already exposed a decent amount of cleavage. He really wanted to pull the cups of the top away so he could see Berry's berries, haha. But he knew there were way to many people around and he would probably get slapped, or hell, punched for his actions. Thinking of her actions, Puck lightly grabbed her right hand, cradling it in his as he examined the cut and bruising knuckles.

"You are incorrigible Noah Puckerman." Rachel said, shaking her head in amusement. She didn't understand why she seemed too comfortable around him, especially considering their rocky past. But she allowed him to take her hand and she tried not to sigh at the feel of his warm hand.

"I might agree with you, if I knew what that meant. You really did a number on your little hand. You should go see the nurse." He said, lightly running a finger over the dainty bones, feeling for breaks. Rachel winced a little, which caused Puck to start and tug her towards the building, wanting her hand to get looked at.

"No, I can't go. They'll know if did something, something _bad_. They'll suspend me! Or maybe expel me! Noah, I can't be expelled. I was angry, but…I shouldn't have done that. Oh god, they're going to kick me out. I've just ruined my shot at Broadway. _I'm_ going to be the loser of Lima!" Rachel was in full blown panic mode, her hand shaking in his as he pulled her through the doors. He stopped in the hallway, taking her by the shoulders and giving her a little shake.

"There's no way that douche is going to admit to being beaten by a _girl_. He's already lost most respect anyone had for him by falling from the fists of Rachel Berry." He tried to assure her.

"Don't forget my knee jab." Rachel said, trying to calm herself. Puck chuckled and nodded, before pulling her towards his locker. Rachel was confused at their destination, as it was clearly not the nurse's.

"Since you don't want to chance it, I've got a first aid kit in here that we can use." Puck said, opening the door to reveal a mostly empty locker that did indeed have a large first aid kit. At her questioning look, Puck shrugged his shoulders before pulling it out of the locker before shutting it and heading towards the nearest girls' bathroom.

"It helps during football season to have your own supplies. We often run out at the beginning of the season, and it takes forever for the new supply to come in." Puck said dismissively.

"I don't want to use your personal stock Noah! What if you need it one day, and it's gone because of helping me? I'll just go to the nurse and say…I hit the wall or something." Rachel said, pulling her hand away from the sink. Puck rolled his eyes at her before grasping her wrist again and placing the injured under the facet.

"It'll be fine Berry. I can always get a new one; they are sold at most grocery stores. Now let's get your hand cleaned up before an infection sets in. You don't know where those guys have been." Rachel felt herself shudder at the implication and allowed him to finish cleaning her hand before drying it. Puck ripped open a rubbing alcohol sheet, which caused Rachel to let out a small whimper, which caused him to raise a brow at her.

"Sorry." Rachel murmured, trying not to wince as he gently worked the pad over her cut knuckles. Once done, Puck placed bandaids over the split skin before pulling out an ace bandage and wrapping it around her hand until she could barely move her fingers.

"Don't you think it's a little tight?" She asked, trying not to sound irritated or annoying, knowing that Noah did not have to be helping her. Puck shook his head as he packed up the first aid kit.

"No, I could tell that nothing seemed broken; but I don't know if something's cracked or anything like that. You should keep your hand wrapped tightly for the next few weeks, just to make sure your bones, if there is a fracture or splinter, heal correctly." Puck was a little taken aback by the awed expression on her face, her hand cradled against her chest.

"I never knew you knew so much about this kind of stuff. Do you want to be a doctor?" Rachel asked, following the football player out of the bathroom. The hallway had filled back up, as there were only a few minutes before classes started, meaning they got many curious looks. Especially when it was obvious that Rachel's hand had been bandaged by Puck, who simply glared back at those staring at them.

"Thank you for your assistance Noah." Rachel said, once they reached his locker again. The taller boy shrugged, uncomfortable with the fact that he had actually helped her. But the image of her punching that douche in the face was fucking awesome, so he shrugged off his mood.

"You're welcome B. You should wear shirts like that more often. I can totally almost see your tits." Puck said, partly because it was true and partly because he wanted to get the focus off of his actions. Rachel rolled her eyes at him and started to walked down the hallway to her own locker, where she had stashed her book bag before getting retribution on her attacker.

"Once again Noah, you are incorrigible." Rachel's voice was more amused than anything, which caused Puck to grin back at her. She was sexy as hell in that outfit, and he didn't feel bad about admitting it.

"Thanks doll. See you around." He said, walking past her, but not before he gave her sexy denim covered ass a squeeze. Rachel gasped in shock and tried to slap his hand away, but he was already laughing as he walked away. She bit her lip as she closed her locker, her stomach full of knots, not only from Puck's actions, but also from her own. She really hoped that her attacker didn't tell the principal, or the _police_. At that thought, Rachel had to take several deep breaths before making her way to her class, trying to get as calm as possible. Luckily she was a straight A student, so her teachers sympathized with her injury and promised to email her their notes. _Seriously, what student has teacher's email addresses in high school? Rachel Berry, you are definitely a geek_._ But at least I don't have to try and take any notes today._

/*/

"Rachel Berry, please report to Coach Sue Sylvester's office immediately." Rachel jumped in surprise at the announcement over the intercom. Everyone gave her strange looks, as they knew if she were going to get into trouble for fighting, it would be Principal Figgins's office requesting her appearance. Shrugging and grabbing her book bag, Rachel gave a small sorry to her teacher before heading towards the cheerleading coach. She had no idea as to what Sue could possible want with her, except maybe to try and get her to blab about the glee club and Mr. Schue.

"Thank you for arriving so quickly. Take a seat." Sue said, pointing to one of the empty chairs in front of her desk. Rachel sat slowly, clutching her wrapped hand to her chest, not sure if Sue would try to physically harm her if she didn't answer her questions.

"I know what you have been up to in the past few days. What do you have to say for your outrageous behavior?" Rachel's eyes widened and she began to panic, thinking Sue was going to somehow expel her, even when she wasn't the principal.

"I…I know I overstepped the line today. I just…there's no excuse for my behavior, and I know that I deserve to be punished. But please Coach Sylvester, don't have me expelled. I'll apologize or do whatever you require of me, but please don't have Principal Figgins expel me. I can't…I'll lose everything." Rachel's voice broke a little as tears filled her eyes, the thought of never reaching Broadway because of a stupid episode of retaliation making her almost physically sick.

"Calm down midget. I'm not going to have you expelled. On the contrary, I think your actions were superb! Just the type of attitude I want in my Cheerios." Sue said, throwing a box of tissues at Rachel's face. Luckily, Rachel was able to catch it with her left hand before it hit her.

"I'm sorry Coach, but I don't understand."

"Well, it's pretty simple. I want you to join the Cheerios." Rachel's eyes nearly bugged out of her head in surprise. She had not seen _that_ coming, not even close.

"Um…I don't think that would be a good idea. Most of your Cheerios hate me and that can't be good for team unity."

"Nonsense, they're my team, and if I say you're on it, than if they want to keep their spots, they'll get over it. I know I have shown my distaste for you and your glee club on many occasions, but I think I actually see something in you. Now that you're not weighed down by Schuester and his hair gel, you seem to be blossoming; and into someone with just the attitude to be successful as a Cheerio."

"I appreciate the consideration Coach Sylvester. But I don't know if I would be able to keep up with the more advanced girls. I'm a really good dancer, and I can do basic flips and tumbles, but I doubt my ability for higher level routines."

"Oh that's fine Berry. I actually want to utilize your real talent, your voice. I want to create a routine that you would dance in, while also singing. I think that would give the Cheerios a huge edge over the competition, especially since you have the best voice in this school." Sue had to hide her glee when she could practically see the stars in the girl's eyes. She knew that once she laid down the singing solos card, she would have Rachel's full attention. _Take that William Schuester._

"That would be a great way to showcase my talent…and yours' as well. I'm sure no one else has thought of having a live singer, instead of just a recorded song. And I already know how to sing while dancing, so if I needed to throw in some flips or tumbles, I think I could still keep my perfect pitch." Sue tried not to do a victory dance in her chair, already seeing the next National Championship trophy clutched in her hands.

"I accept your offer Coach Sylvester. And thank you for allowing me a place to perform to my fullest abilities." Rachel said, her reply letting Sue know that the girl still had issues with the glee club. She had thought the girl would run back to the loserville that was glee, but was pleasantly surprised to learn that she had not rejoined. This knowledge, along with Berry's actions, was the main driving force behind Sue trying to get Berry to join her squad. The fact that she was going to get to rub Schuester's nose in it just made it that much better.

"I'm glad to hear that Berry. You are exempt from practice this afternoon, as you need to go to the supply office and get them to give you four or five uniforms. They should be the proper size; I don't want any of my Cheerios looking like whales. They'll give you a Cheerio package, which will have _everything_ you'll need. I expect you to be in uniform, including your hair up, tomorrow morning." Rachel nodded before thanking the coach again before heading out. She couldn't believe this had just happened to her; she never would have thought she would become a cheerleader.

_It's never even been a faint fantasy before. I hope I'm up to par for Coach and I don't embarrass her. I'll need to practice my moves tonight just to make sure I can do the basics._

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted when she ran into Finn outside the choir room.

"I'm sorry Finn, I did not mean to run into you." Rachel mumbled.

"Oh that's okay Rachel. You can bump into me anytime, I won't get mad. So how have you been? You look really nice. Is that a new shirt? I've never seen you dress in anything so…revealing. Not that it's _too_ revealing; I think you look great in it. I'm still sorry you don't want to rejoin Glee, we really miss you. And you've been the talk of the school! I can't believe you actually punched John Sumter in the face! And kneed him! And then punched the other guy! That was like, whoa! Is your hand okay? I'm surprised it's not broken, since you hit both their noses. How'd you learn to hit like that? I'll make sure never to make you so mad! I-"

"FINN! What in the world is wrong with you?" Rachel had to speak over his babbling, completely baffled at his behavior. It was almost as if he had taken something, like _drugs_. She pulled his face closer to hers so she could see his eyes, which were dilated, showing that he was in fact under the influence of _something_.

"Oh my god, did you take _drugs?_" Rachel whispered, not wanting to let anyone hear her. She released Finn, confused as to why the boy would even mess around with such dangerous things. Finn shook his head in denial.

"Nope, I got a vitamin from Mrs. Schuester. She's the school nurse now. Although, I'm not really sure if she's really qualified to be a nurse. We think she's here to keep an eye on Schuester since he's been, like, in love with Ms. Pillsbury for like, forever." Rachel just shook her head at him, clearly not believing him. Finn pulled out the box to show her, proving that it wasn't technically drugs as she was thinking. But Vitamin D obviously proved to be some type of performance enhancer.

"You know that's cheating, don't you Finn? How are the girls supposed to compete against you guys when you're…juiced up? That's not fair to your fellow teammates!"

"Actually, I'm taking them because I couldn't stay awake. Everything has just been so hard on me Rachel. I'm under so much pressure, especially with Quinn and the baby, that I needed some help. And this vitamin has allowed me to get threw a lot of my homework and stuff, so I'm finally a head for once. I know you don't approve, but you're not in glee, so it doesn't really matter what you think." Finn said, spinning around and entering the room. He couldn't stand the ashamed look she was giving him.

Rachel debated telling Mr. Schuester about what was going on, but Finn was right. She was no longer a part of glee, even though that truth was like a knife in her gut, and she didn't have to reveal anything. She just hoped that Finn, and any of the other boys that had taken the vitamin, came clean. With her mind made up that she wasn't going to get involved, Rachel continued on her way to the supply office, almost giddy at the thought of walking through the doors the next day in the uniform.

**Song: Don't Rain on My Parade by Barbra Streisand!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I really want to know what you guys think! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so I know that there were several errors in the previous chapter. I don't have a beta and sometimes I don't take the time to reread my work, so my apologies. I will try to make sure and reread my chapters, but no promises. When they are getting up to 15 or 20 pages a chapter, I can't seem to will myself to reread them before I post them. So I apologize again for any mistakes I don't catch.**

**Thank you for all the reviews! I got twice as many from this chapter as the first, so yay! I would still love more, but I'll take what I can get . I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story and keep those reviews coming!** **To ****Mikachu, Shay, and Meg: Thanks for reviewing and sorry I couldn't send you a private message. I hope you guys will keep enjoying the story and leaving comments! They make me happy!**

**Disclaimer: Once more, I do not own anything related to Glee, the Glee cast, or any songs used in this piece of work.**

Chapter 3: Whirlwind Weeks

(Thursday of Vitamin D week)

"What the hell do you think you're wearing Manhands?" Quinn screeched, pulling roughly on Rachel's new Cheerio book bag so the shorter girl almost fell backwards. She straightened up and turned to regard the captain of the Cherries, trying to stay as calm as possible. She wasn't sure exactly what had changed with her in the last two weeks, but Rachel couldn't seem to hold in her temper any longer. She didn't know if it was the never ending teasing and abuse or her simply maturing, but Rachel could already feel her anger rising in the pit of her stomach.

"Well obviously I am wearing a Cheerios uniform Quinn. It's the exact same as yours, so I would hope you would know what it was." She tried to spin back around, but Quinn had a death grip on her shoulder and Santana looked like she would step in to prevent her from moving anyhow.

"Don't be smart with me RuPaul! Why are you wearing this? Did you steal it from someone? Did you think you could go under the radar if you had one of _our_ outfits on, since yours are so hideous?" Rachel rolled her eyes at the pregnant girl, wishing she had made it to her first period before running into any of the Cheerios.

"I certainly did not steal anything Quinn Fabray! Coach Sylvester gave me it yesterday upon my acceptance of her request that I join the squad."

"You're a Cheerio? I thought you were a hobbit." Brittany's airy voice sounded from behind Quinn, causing Rachel to peer around the blond girl to see the other glee Cheerio. Brittany had a confused look on her face and was staring at Rachel as if she had never seen her before.

"Yes Brittany, I am officially a Cheerio now. If you would please release me, I must get to first period." Rachel attempted to pull away from Quinn's grip, but the head cheerleader held on tighter before pushing Rachel roughly against the wall.

"Don't think for one minute that this makes you one of us. You'll _never_ be popular or liked or accepted. You'll always be a loser, no matter what you try to do to change that. What, you thought hitting a hockey player, avoiding slushies, and joining the Cheerios would make you anything other than a geek? I hate to disappoint you…wait, no I don't. You'll always be at the bottom of the hierarchy here, so you mine as well take off that uniform, because _no one_ wants you on the team." Quinn bit out, continuously pushing Rachel roughly against the wall with each of her points. She finally released the small girl and stepped back, confident she had put the dweeb back where she belonged.

"Well, I regret to inform _you_, but I am not quitting the Cheerios. Coach Sylvester has made it clear that she wants me on the team, and I will not disappoint her by quitting before the first practice." Rachel responded as she tried to getting the wrinkles out of her shirt from Quinn's rough handling.

"Don't say we didn't warn you RuPaul. We'll make your life so miserable that you won't be able to wait to take that uniform off. You'll soon learn that imposters never last long in these outfits." Quinn's voice had gone a little menacing, her usually pretty face distorted into one of anger. She snapped at the two Cheerios behind her before walking past Rachel, jamming her with her shoulder just for good measure. Rachel rubbed the spot that Quinn had hit while she watched the three walk away, surprised when she saw Brittany look back at her for a moment before disappearing into the crowd.

Becoming aware once more of her surroundings, Rachel saw most of the hallway's occupants staring at her and gossiping about the encounter they had witnessed. She held her head up high before straightening her clothes and bag and moving off to first period, not letting anyone see that Quinn's words had hurt her feelings. She would rise above such behavior, as she was going to be a star. And Quinn, well, she was going to be a teenage mother who would never get out of Ohio.

Rachel felt a surge of guilt at the thought, especially considering the speech she had given yesterday. She just couldn't understand why Quinn hated her so much. Sure, she had tried to become romantic with Quinn's boyfriend, but when he chose Quinn, Rachel figured the other girl would have let it go; apparently she had been dead wrong. She was startled out of her thoughts when someone plopped down beside her at the table. Rachel looked up to see Kurt sitting there, staring at her in astonishment.

"Hello Kurt. I have not seen you in a while. I don't think all the chairs are full, if you would wish for me to move." She said, figuring the boy would demand she find a different seat. She was stopped from closing her notebook by the girlish hands of her classmate.

"No Rachel, you're fine. I actually wanted to talk to you, but I just got sidetracked with your new uniform. So, you're actually on the Cheerios?" Kurt's voice, while appearing to be friendly, had an undercurrent of disbelief and slight anger.

"Yes Kurt, I am officially part of the Cheerios. Why is that such a surprise? You're on the football team. So was that what you wanted to speak with me about?"

"Ah, no. I…well a lot of us wanted to thank you for what you said yesterday in the quad. Not many people, if any, are willing to defend us in public; we appreciate you doing so. Even our own members, like Finn, probably won't ever publically come to Glee's, or its members', aid."

"Well, you're welcome Kurt. Although I was only being honest, so it was not as if it was that great of a task to take on. Plus, up until recently, I was a member of the Glee club, so I don't like it when people tear the club down." Any further conversation was cut off as the teacher began the lesson for the day. When the bell rang, Kurt was prevented from asking about how she got on the Cheerios because Rachel was already walking out the door by the time he got his things together.

/*/

When the lunch bell rang, Rachel sighed in relief. She had just endured a tortuous period, with Quinn sitting behind her and glaring holes in her head. This wasn't helped by the fact that the girl had started blowing spit balls at her head, which Rachel thought was not only disgusting, but extremely childish. She had always envied the beautiful girl, both for her looks and her popularity, but Rachel was surprised that the teen would stoop to such juvenile actions. The respect and envy Rachel had possessed for Quinn was drastically diminished by the end of the period.

Once the bell sounded, Quinn pushed past her roughly, which Rachel thought was another stupid move, because of the life growing inside of her. She knew that a little rough treatment to Quinn's body, as from being rough with someone else, wouldn't harm it, but Rachel figured the teen should be as careful as possible. Taking the time to remove all the balls from her hair, Rachel pulled out the travel brush she took with her everywhere and brushed her hair out before putting it back in the pony tail. Once assured she looked fine, Rachel headed out towards her locker, planning to grab her packed lunch to eat outside.

She was just exchanging her books when she felt a large warm hand sneak around her waist. Startled, she spun around quickly, catching the locker door with her injured hand. She winced when the metal hit her, before looking up into the deep hazel eyes of Puck. She let out an exacerbated breath, not understanding why he had suddenly become so interested in her. Sure, she had used his name in her speech, and let him wrap her hand, but she hadn't done anything to gain his attention. Or at least, Rachel didn't think she did; but by the way he was smirking down at her, she had to guess that she had done _something_, even when she didn't know what.

"Good afternoon Noah. Is there something I can help you with, or would you just like to stand in my personal space for a few more minutes?" Puck's smirk seemed to get even more pronounced, which Rachel was shocked she couldn't stop staring at, especially when his tongue poked out to wet his bottom lip.

"I like the second option Berry. I think I _will_ stay in your "personal space" for a little while longer." His voice was gruff, and Rachel could swear it literally skimmed over her skin, causing her body to start tingling. Trying to get her mind away from inappropriate thoughts, Rachel rolled her eyes at the boy before turning again to grab her lunch and zip up her bag. But turning when there was very little space between her, the locker, and Puck meant that her entire body brushed against his with her movements.

"Ah baby, do that again." Rachel fought off a shiver as his lips grazed her ear, his hot breath tickling the sensitive skin. She had to take a deep breath before turning again, not letting him know who much _she_ was enjoying his body brushing against hers. This was Noah Puckerman, the cougar sex god, and Rachel did not want to let him pull her into one of his games. Adopting an expression of indifference, Rachel tried to push against his chest, but it was like trying to move a stone wall. With that thought, Rachel couldn't help but appreciate the hard muscles under her hand, and she had to stop herself from caressing his chest, know that would just make him smirk more.

"Noah, I would really like to eat lunch before third period starts, so if you could go try and work your charms on someone else, I would appreciate it."

"Now, Berry, that's just not nice. You show up to school in this…_outfit_ and expect the guys not to be all over you?" Puck questioned as he ran a hand down her side, making her shiver. He grinned back at her and she narrowed her eyes.

"Of course I expected that Noah. This outfit is not that much more revealing than any of my others. My arms are the only things that are shown that I usually have sleeves to cover up. The skirt is an appropriate length to cover and allow for movement." She huffed out.

"Oh, I love the skirt, I promise. But it just looks so much shorter than the other girls' that people are going to wonder if you'll flash them if you bend over."

"You are a pig Puckerman! The only reason this skirt is smaller is because _I'm_ smaller! You can't have a 5'3 person wear the same skirt length as a 5'6 girl, it would be down to her knees. Honestly!" Rachel redoubled her efforts to push him away, but with her hurt hand and his solid build, she couldn't even budge him. He was about to make another suggestive remark when he saw her wince as she attempted to push him away.

"Is your hand alright? Let me see." Rachel tried to pull her hand away, but Puck was already unwrapping it gently. She cringed as the bones shifted with the movement and glared at Noah's Mohawk, blaming him for the pain since she had already rewrapped it for the day. He gave a low whistle when he saw the black and blue bruising, knowing it must hurt like a bitch.

"You should really get this looked at B. I told you that I wasn't sure if anything was cracked or fractured. Now that you're a Cheerio, you're going to need to be able to use your hands, and I don't know how quickly this will heal if you don't get it looked at properly." Rachel was touched by the sincerity in his voice as he started to rewrap her hand.

"I don't want the nurse asking any questions. I really don't want to get expelled."

"If you were going to get kicked out, trust me, you'd already have been. No one is willing to fess up to what happened, so you should be fine." Puck murmured quietly as he clipped the bandage before stepping back, the mood obviously no longer that of flirting. Rachel bit her lip before she thanked him and the two parted ways, Rachel looking back every so often at the distancing figure, completely confused at his actions.

First, she didn't understand why he seemed hell-bent on flirting with her, as he had made it his mission to throw slushies in her face before he joined Glee; and then she didn't understand the clear concern he had for her when he wrapped her injury. Shaking her head in confusion and trying to clear her mind, especially as a headache was clearly on the horizon, Rachel made her way out a side door, taking her place on a lonely bench that was her lunch table.

/*/

The rest of the day was uneventful for Rachel, except the death glares she encountered anytime she ran into a Cheerio in class or in the hallways. Obviously Quinn Fabray had been to work, making sure that not one member of the team was welcoming to Rachel Berry. She was sure that the girl, who always wanted to be liked and admired, would not be able to put up with the disdain and insults for very long. This thinking was obviously flawed, however, as Rachel had been getting teased and bullied since her first day in high school, so she was well prepared to simply ignore the team's remarks and actions.

The first Cheerios practice was very boring for most, as they had to wait for the _freak_ to learn the routines. Many of the girls didn't understand why their coach would chance their championship with a girl who was obviously not fit to be a cheerleader. Sure, she seemed to be able to dance and pick up the routines quickly, but her injured hand prevented her from learning the tricks the more advanced girls performed. They just knew that having the geek on the squad would hurt their chances of winning, as the judges would definitely see her subpar skills.

For her part, Rachel ignored the hostile looks and tried to pick up the routines as quickly as possible. She was confident she had most of the dance elements down, but she was worried her hand wouldn't be healed in time to learn the tricks before their next meet. But she was determined to show everyone that she was not going to be an embarrassment, so she decided to see go to the doctor before her hand got any worse. To her surprise, however, Coach Sylvester pulled her aside at the end of practice and told her to go see the doctor the Cheerios use, who was on call night and day. Rachel was so surprised to be given the gift of a free doctor's appointment that she just stared at her coach before nodding dumbly.

The doctor, thankfully, had confirmed Noah's estimation that nothing was broken or fractured. He gave her a sling, however, because he said that she should avoid using it to the best of her ability, and he said that the ace bandage wasn't giving her the proper amount of protection. One pink sling later and Rachel was headed home, with a prescription for some mild main relievers that she probably would not take, as she didn't like to take prescriptions.

/*/

The next week was more of the same, with Rachel trying to avoid being alone with any Cheerio, as they had started pushing roughly against her, trying to injure her hand further. She had started hunching her shoulders when in crowded hallways, trying to protect the healing appendage as best she could from the constant stream of traffic and bullying. Rachel hadn't expected to become instantly popular, but she was surprise at the hostility that her fellow cheerleaders were showing her, which she thought was extremely childish. How they expected to win a championship when they couldn't work together, Rachel didn't know. She just hoped that they somehow got past their anger before it was too late.

(Friday of Throwdown week)

One surprising thing that did happen during the week occurred on Friday, when she had spotted Puck marching down the hallway, a Big Quench cup in his hands. She couldn't believe he would renegade on his new behavior so quickly. Deciding she would face the humiliation head on, Rachel marched up to him, until she caused him to come to a halt, not wanting to hit her arm.

"Really Noah? I thought you were better than this. I thought you were finally changing, becoming a better person. I thought you had learned you don't have to be a bully to run this school. Well go ahead then, hit me with it. But I promise you, this is going to be more painful for you than me." Rachel snapped, completely infuriated with him. She threw her arms out in the universal signal to go ahead, but Puck just looked at her like she was crazy.

"I'm not going to slushie you Berry. Now stop causing a scene and get out of my way." Rachel looked confused until she followed his gaze, which was glued to a small freshman boy who was struggling with his books. Rachel slapped her hand on his chest, not willing to let him go any further, even if she knew she couldn't physically prevent his movements.

"I am not going to allow you to bully that poor boy. He hasn't done anything to you, and you're just trying to be mean. But you just look like…a douche bag for attacking someone so much smaller than you. You might not be physically hurting him, but what you're trying to do will emotionally scare him for life." Puck gave a loud sigh, his irritation with the small girl evident.

"Berry, I'm not trying to be a good person. I'm not a good person. After our encounters, I thought you would have learned that." Rachel shook her head and leaned forward, sure he didn't want the audience they had to hear her next words.

"You _are_ changing, Noah. While you will probably never be…a saint (Rachel let a small laugh at the mere thought), you're not that mean guy anymore. So what if you're not picking on people anymore? It's not like that one aspect of high school is going to define who you are. Wouldn't you rather be someone others want to be, one others want to be friends with? I know you want everyone to fear you, but…I think respect is a much better option over fear. Respect can get you to get away with a lot of things, while fear only last so long until people learn to get over it."

"Berry-"

"I know you will deny being nice until you're blue in the face. But the guy who took care of me last week, the one who has kept the hockey players away from me, that's who you really are." Puck shifted his gaze, not wanting to meet hers. He had thought she hadn't seen him as he had intercept all the hockey players from approaching her, which tended to end in fights. Rachel gave a small smile at his embarrassed face.

"Just know, that between Puck and Noah, I like Noah a lot more. But, Puck isn't so bad when he's not bullying people. So, can I have this or do you just want to throw it away, because I know you wouldn't use it _now._" Rachel said, wrapping her hand around the cold drink. Puck glanced at her before releasing the cup into her hands, rolling his eyes at her pleased grin.

"I can't believe I just let you do that." He ground out, completely confused as to why he allowed the midget to get into his brain. Sure, he had recently felt a strange pull towards her, and she was fucking hot in her uniform, but that didn't mean he should have given into her so easily. _I'm supposed to be a badass and do what I want. Instead, I let a little dwarf tell me what to do. Fuck!_

Rachel just smiled at him wider, obviously able to tell in what directions his thoughts were turning. He just rolled his eyes at her again before offering his arm, figuring that he mine as well walk her to class since she had effectively neutered him for the day. He tried to ignore the gossip that flew around him as they walked, Rachel sipping on the cherry icy as they went. He knew that the news of his failed badass moment would be all over school by the end of first period. And even while he internally cringed at the blast to his rep, he couldn't seem to get mad at the crazy girl on his arm, especially as she kept smiling up at him, as if she was proud of him for not pushing past her and slushing his target anyway.

/*/

(Mash-up week)

On Monday, Rachel was bombarded by Jacob for more information about her relationship with Noah Puckerman. Now that she no longer had her sling on, he had no qualms about getting too close for comfort. She just rolled her eyes at the annoying boy before walking away, refusing to give him anything that he could twist around. But her attempts at avoidance were not rewarded, as the boy was at her locker every single time she needed to get into it.

"Come on Rachel, give me something. The school is just bustling with speculation about your interactions with Puckerman. The two of you have been seen in rather close proximity to each other on several occasions. And the fact that you were able to keep him from slushing a freshman has caused many to think you're in an affair with the dumb jock." Rachel whipped around, glaring at him.

"Don't insult Noah just because you want some gossip and think you're better than him. While he is obviously a jock, he is nowhere near dumb. Don't you think it takes some brains to be able to actually move up in grade levels, even though he rarely attends classes? I think, Jacob Ben-Israel, that you are green with envy, not only of his athleticism but also with his reputation. Now if you'll excuse me."

"Ah, see, that there is why we think you're sleeping with him. Why else would you be so quick to defend someone who has made your life miserable on more than one occasion? Added to the knowledge of what the two of you got up to during camp, all the evidence points to: guilty." Rachel clenched her fists, wishing desperately to hit him. But she hated violence, her previous behavior aside, so she gave him her iciest glare, hoping his bits would freeze off from it.

"It is none of yours or anyone else's business as to who anyone, especially me, sees outside of school. On that note, I can guarantee you, that I am _**not**_ sleeping with Noah Puckerman and you can put that in your blog, as you won't get another word from me about it. But I already told you I would make it publically known about your nocturnal activities if you did not leave the subject alone, and I stand by that promise."

"The truth is going to come out sooner or later Rachel." Jacob said in a creepy, solemn voice before walking away. Rachel couldn't believe that people actually thought she was sleeping with Noah. Sure, he had been paying her more attention than ever, but she figured that had to do with her new uniform and he would grow tired of it soon. She tried not to allow memories of the summer Jacob alluded to, knowing that nothing good could come from reflection on that topic. Squaring her shoulders in preparation of being the target of more gossip and hostile looks, Rachel pushed the cafeteria door open.

/*/

Rachel had been about to bit into her burger when Brittany sat down in front of her, making her eyes widen in shock, not sure if the girl was going to attack her right there in the cafeteria. But Brittany only sat there, smiling at her, so Rachel put down the burger and wiped her hands, guessing that Brittany wanted something from her. She was even more surprised when Santana sat down next to her friend, her face clearly showing how much she wished she wasn't there.

"Hey Rachel! Can I eat with you? Thanks." Brittany pulled out a water bottle, which was filled with something too gross looking for Rachel to even contemplate drinking.

"Um…sure Brittany. But, wouldn't you, you know, rather eat with your friends?"

"I am sitting with friends, silly. Lord Tubbington told me last night that me and you and San were supposed to be friends, so we're friends." Brittany said, clearly thinking that reasoning made sense. Rachel was completely flabbergasted and turned to Santana, who just shrugged her shoulders before taking a sip of her own water bottle, trying not to gag at the taste.

"Oh, okay I guess. If…Lord Tubbington said so." Rachel had no idea of how to respond to the bizarre girl, so she just picked up her burger again and took a bite.

"I thought you were like, a vegetarian or something. Don't you feel bad about eating a poor defenseless animal?" Santana's voice was mocking, obviously wanting to get Rachel to feel bad.

"I am a vegan actually, which means I don't eat any by products from animals or animal meat. However, these burgers are not made of meat. They are made of tofu, which is perfectly fine for me to eat." Rachel said after wiping her mouth.

"What? That is not tofu." Santana said, shaking her head. Rachel just smiled at her, knowing that she was right and the Latina would believe whatever she wanted. At Rachel's smile, Santana bit back her more snide comment, realizing that Berry was either right or the vegan was eating meat. As much as she would like it to be the latter, she was smart enough to recognize the truth. She wasn't, however, willing to agree with the hobbit so she turned back to the magazine she had pulled out, slowly drinking her lunch.

"So do you want to come over after school? San and I usually watch movies and stuff, so now that you're our friend, you can come over too. I would love to give you a makeover!" Brittany got so excited at the thought that she was almost bouncing in her seat.

"Brittany, you know I'm still the…annoying girl from before right? The one none of you guys wanted anything to do with? I mean, just because I wear a Cheerio uniform doesn't mean I've changed on the inside. I doubt you actually want to spend any time alone with me, as I've been told that I get on people's nerves." Now, Rachel wasn't one to tear herself down, but she figured she would nip this in the bud before things could go too far. She wasn't sure if this was another form of bullying or if Brittany was sincere, but she figured she would stay clear of anything that could have really negative consequences for her.

"I don't understand." Brittany said, her eyes clouded with confusion as she tried to comprehend what Rachel had just said. Rachel glanced around the table, trying to find something that could help her when she spotted the girls' bottles.

"Okay, so say I poured out whatever was in this bottle and filled it up with juice. Well, on the outside, it looks exactly the same, as if I hadn't dumped the first drink. But when you take a sip, you taste juice, not…whatever that is. So see Brittany, even though the juice is concealed in the Cheerio bottle, it's still just juice." Santana looked mildly impressed with Rachel's analogy, secretly appreciating the brunette's attempt from hurting Brittany's feelings by making her feel stupid.

"So, you're juice in a Cheerio bottle?"

"Yes…well basically. So I'm still that juice that you didn't like before, no matter what bottle I go into." Rachel scrunched up her face, not liking her analogy anymore. She did not want Brittany to start thinking she was actually juice that went into a bottle, and knowing the ditzy blonde, she was afraid that was what would happen.

"Well that's okay Rachel! We'll just start liking juice! So are you going to come over after practice?" Brittany said, smiling widely, proud she had figured out what Rachel was saying. The other girls just gave helpless shrugs at each other and Rachel agreed to go over to Brittany's house.

"Ah…so what's been going on? In Glee?" Rachel asked quietly, not sure if they wanted her to ask about the group. Santana and Brittany shared a glance before Santana spoke up, knowing that Brittany could jumble up the events.

"After the Vitamin D thing, Figgins made Coach Sylvester come in to co-direct the club. Obviously, she tried to get us to hate Mr. Schue, but it backfired on her. She separated all the minorities into her own group and let us do our own thing, which was awesome. We actually got to do an R&B number." Santana said, flipping through her magazine with the air of indifference.

"Well I guess that would explain Coach's foul mood in practice lately. I don't think she'll ever be truly happy until she completely destroys Mr. Schuester." Rachel said, pulling out an antibacterial wipe for her hands, since she was done with her lunch.

"Oo, what's that?" Brittany said, eyeing the wipe in Rachel's hands. The smaller girl just smiled and pulled out an unopened wipe and handed it to Brittany.

"So…about the vitamin incident…did _everyone_ take it?"

"What do _you_ know of it Berry?" Santana asked, her eyes boring into Rachel's.

"Um…not much. I just ran into Finn on Tuesday and he was…pumped up."

"Yeah, well, we all took it. But Finn tattled on us, so both teams were forfeit. And thus Coach Sylvester's instatement as co-director."

"Is she still the co-director?" Rachel did not like the sound of that, not even a little bit.

"Yeah, although she's stepped back out of the picture. Now our song lists just have to be approved by her and she'll leave the club alone. I doubt she'll leave Mr. Schue alone, however." Rachel still didn't like the idea, knowing that Sue Sylvester was hell bent on the glee club's destruction. But she wasn't a part of that anymore, so she just had to let her feelings go.

"Now that we've covered glee, what the hell do you think you're doing with my man?" Santana spat out, having waited as long as she could to get to her own interrogation. Rachel's eyes widened at the anger in the other girl's voice, as she didn't know what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry Santana, but I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know who your man is nor am I involved with anyone." Santana rolled her eyes at Rachel, knowing the dweeb was just trying to cover.

"I mean Puck Stubbles. What are you doing with Puck?" Rachel felt herself flush, her previous conversation with Jacob popping up in her head.

"I don't know what you mean Santana. I didn't know the two of you are an item. And he and I are merely friends."

"We might not be "dating", but he's my booty call so you need to back off. How long do you think he's going to be interested in you when you don't give it up to him? He'll drop you quick, so if you want to avoid that, stay away from him." Santana's voice was harsh. She might not want to date Puckerman anymore, but that didn't mean she wanted the bat-shit crazy Rachel Berry to have him. She liked having him in her back pocket whenever she needed a quick pick-me-up.

"Well, from the sounds of it, the two of you are _not_ a couple, so Noah can see anyone he wants to. However, as I have told others before, the two of us are not seeing each other."

"Oh phleaze! That boy is so into you, it makes me want to vomit." Rachel's eyes widened at the mean girl's words, not knowing if she should believe her or not. It was _Santana_ after all.

"Oh I know what she's talking about. Puck is always defending you in Glee and stuff! He almost got in a fight with Finn last week when Finn didn't defend you to Quinn, saying he was a bad friend. It was weird." Rachel felt her heart begin to speed up, the thought of Noah actually liking her being both thrilling and terrifying. She was just about to question the two further when the boy in question sat down next to her, giving her a smirk at her jump before placing a slushie down in front of her. Rachel stared at the beverage, her mind seeming to implode and leave her without the ability to think or speak.

"I got you this. It's grape. I know that's your favorite because the last time I tossed a grape one in your face, you licked your lips before you cleaned yourself off." Rachel turned to look at him open mouthed, not really sure what she should do. Santana was glaring at her hatefully and Brittany had a "I told you so" expression on her face.

"Th…Thank you Noah, that was very sweet of you." Rachel finally snapped out of her trance and smiled at him, taking the straw he offered before placing it in the cup. She could feel his eyes watching her as she took a sip before she turned back to him, wondering if Santana might just be correct and Noah Puckerman did in fact like her. _Don't get your hopes up Berry! He's a self-acclaimed sex shark, so keep a cool head._

"So we're supposed to find songs that would mesh well with Young MC's "Bust a Move" and I was wondering if maybe you'd want to help me?" Rachel's stomach clenched at the same time as a flock of butterflies came alive at the question.

"Well, I don't know if there _is_ a song that could be mashed-up with that one, but sure, I'll be happy to help you. But I'm supposed to go to Brittany's tonight, so maybe tomorrow?"

"Oh no, you can come over tomorrow! No need to put off an assignment and all." Brittany jumped in, her eyes sparkling with glee. Rachel's own eyes widened in disbelief at the girl, who had actually spoken normally, before she took a quick glance at Santana. The Latina was alternating a look of disbelief for Puck, anger at Rachel, and hurt at Brittany. Puck smirked at Rachel, daring her to say no to him in front of the others.

"Oh, well thank you Brittany, but only if you're sure." When the blonde nodded, Rachel turned back to Puck, trying to keep a cool head. She had promised herself that she would not fall for his charms, especially after the almost-slushie the week before. Obviously he hadn't changed that much, or else he wouldn't even have considered do such a thing.

"We can meet at my house then, around seven. I'll get brainstorming in the library before Cheerios practice, so hopefully I'll have some idea before you arrive. Please bring your guitar with you. And thank you for the drink Noah." Rachel said as she stood to dump her tray before grabbing her things and leaving, once more sipping on a slushie as she made her way through the school.

Just before exiting the cafeteria, she glanced back to see Puck watching her, which most likely meant he had been watching her behind. Shaking her head at him, Rachel continued on her way to her next class, wanting to get there ahead of time so she could speak with the teacher about the upcoming paper.

/*/

Rachel starred at herself in her full length mirror, not sure if her outfit was the best choice. She had wanted to get out her uniform, as she didn't like wearing it 24/7 like some of the others (cough Quinn). Instead, she had slipped on a pair of black yoga pants and a tank top, wanting to be comfortable. But when she saw the way the top was showing off her breasts, Rachel knew Puck would get the wrong idea. She was about to change into something else when the doorbell rang.

Once the two were in her bedroom (why they didn't just practice downstairs if she didn't want anything to happen? Answer me that!) Rachel pulled up her laptop to show Puck the possible mash-up ideas. They played through several before Noah complained about his ears hurting. Rachel rolled her eyes at him, knowing full well that he was lying. You couldn't be in glee and a performer if your ears started hurting after only a few songs. When he asked if they wanted to make out, Rachel shook her head at him.

"Noah! This is supposed to be a meeting about finding you appropriate material, not _making out_. Is that all you think about?"

"Well, what else am I supposed to think about when I can almost see your boobs in that shirt? It's just mean the way you tease me Berry." The last sentence came out in a husky drawl, which Rachel could not keep herself from reacting to. But this was Puck, not the Noah she had been seeing glimpses of, and Rachel wasn't ready to fall prey to his skills.

"I'm sorry my choice of attire is distracting to you Noah. (Rachel pulled on a sweater) If you only came over to try and get me to make out with you, than you mine as well leave." Rachel said, crossing her arms over her now fully covered chest. Puck seemed to pout for a moment before standing, walking towards her until they were only a few inches apart.

"What would it take for you to kiss me? Want me to rescue a kitten out of a tree or something equally as lame?" He asked, rising a hand to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. Rachel shivered a little when his finger skimmed her ear, but she quickly got control of herself.

"Noah, I'm not that type of girl. I'm not Santana; so if you want a quick roll on the bed, you should go see her. She is apparently ready and willing to be your _booty call_." Rachel was shocked how bitter the words came out. It wasn't like she _liked_ Noah. No way. Only a few weeks ago she thought she was in love with Finn Hudson, so she was definitely_ not_ in like with Puck. Nope.

"I don't want Santana, I want _you_." Puck's voice was still at the low, husky level, which caused goosebumps to spread over her skin. She could feel herself leaning towards him as he leaned down to her, but before their lips could meet, Rachel pushed against his chest.

"No Noah, I don't care if you don't want her. I'm not the type for a quick…how do you boys say it? A hit it and leave it girl? I'm not that, so if that's what you want, you need to look elsewhere. I'm…I'm a commitment type. I want a _boyfriend_, one that isn't ashamed to be seen with me in the hallways and who actually cares about me and my feelings. I know I am a high-maintenance girl who talks too much, and has too many opinions, and can be really annoying (according to some people). So I would need a guy that was able to handle all of that." As Rachel spoke, she found she wasn't very surprised that she hadn't had a boyfriend in high school. What teenage boy would want to deal with all that was Rachel Berry?

"I'm up for the challenge Berry." Puck's statement was so simple, yet Rachel felt its impact all the way to her bones. _I so want to believe you Noah._

"How could I ever be sure of that Noah? You were ready to slushie a student just last week. And you're never stepping up to the plate in Glee, as I hear Finn is still getting all male leads. I know this is horrible to say, but you would have to prove that you've _changed_ before I went out with you. I know you are capable of being such a wonderful person, but so far, you keep backtracking towards the guy who loved to slushie _me_ on a regular basis." Puck's head dropped a little, knowing her words had truth in them. He had been the leader in the slushie war against Rachel Berry, for reasons he still really didn't understand. It just seemed like an awesome thing to do at the time.

"I'll prove it you B. I'm a total badass, so I can make anything work, even being…_nicer._" Rachel smiled a little at the note of distaste on the last word. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and hugged him, loving the way his body pressed against hers.

"Thank you Noah, but I don't want you to have to change for me. You should be able to be whoever _you_ want to be, not who _I_ want you to be. If you changed against your will, you would just end up resenting me in the long run, which would ruin the friendship we've started to build."

"You were right Berry, you do talk too much." The two shared a smile before Puck released her and headed home, trying to plan out exactly how he was going to win her over. He had no clue as to why he was determined to do so, but the recent dream he had of her just reinforced his belief that the two of them were supposed to be together._ I will get you to fall for me Rachel Berry. And then I am so in those panties_.

/*/

Rachel had just sat down at the piano in the choir room when the door opened, allowing a few of the Glee clubbers into the room. She stood up in surprise, not sure what they were doing here.

"Rachel! What are you doing here? Are you here to ask to rejoin Glee?" Mercedes asked, showing her irritation at having the "diva" back in the choir room. Rachel twisted her hands together before she straightened up.

"No Mercedes, I am not planning to ask to be allowed back into this club. I was under the impression that the Glee club would be in the auditorium today, as Mr. Schuester was signed up for the entire hour. If you are practicing in here instead, I will use the auditorium." Rachel turned away from the girl, who was now sitting next to Kurt. As Rachel was gathering her sheet music, which she hadn't even been able to play yet, the rest of the clubbers trickled in.

"Couldn't stay away Berry?" Rachel cursed herself as she jumped at the sexy drawl next to her ear. She turned to look at Noah's smirking face, rolling her eyes at him before continuing to pack away her things.

"No Noah, I simply must have gotten my times mixed up. I thought the choir room was supposed to be free right now, since Mr. Schuester blocked out this hour for use of the auditorium."

"Well I'm glad you're here, actually, because I have something for you. But you're going to have to wait a minute, is that okay?" She was surprised at how endearing he sounded, so she simply nodded before moving over to sit next to Tina, who smiled at her and struck up a conversation.

"What is Treasure Trail doing here?" Santana asked loudly, causing everyone who wasn't already wondering that to look at the petite brunette. Finn, who would have normally been grinning, was still upset about yesterday, when Quinn and him had been slushied. The others were in different states of hope or despair, thinking all the promised solo moments were about to be torn away.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" Mr. Schue asked as he laid his bag on the piano. _Yes, finally she has come to her senses. Now I can get her away from Sue and get my star back._

"I was about to leave, but Noah as requested that I wait a few minutes. I will leave as soon as I can Mr. Schue, I assure you." Everyone was shocked at the cold bit to her words, as she had always been respectful of the teacher. Mr. Schue was about to retort when he saw Puck waiting for them to finish, a guitar strapped to his chest. Not wanting to ruin a moment of spotlight for one of his normally noncontributory members, Schue shut his mouth and sat in the back next to Finn, who had pulled himself out of his funk in time to hear Puck start strumming. As he listened, his face got darker and darker when he realized that the other boy was serenading, seriously serenading!, the girl that Finn liked (even though he chose Quinn over her).

Rachel was enraptured as Noah's silky voice washed over her, his choice of "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond both surprising and pleasing. She couldn't stop herself from singing along, especially when most of the club also joined in. She was surprised at how much she wanted to kiss him; Rachel swore should almost taste him she wanted it so bad. No one had ever shown her such a display of affection before, and Rachel would be lying if she said she wasn't getting hot, both physically and emotionally, from it. And Noah kept giving her this sexy little smile, which just enhanced her desire for him even more, until she was sitting on the edge of her seat by the end of the song.

Once the song was over, Rachel got to her feet and slowly walked towards Puck. He handed his guitar to one of the band members, not sure of what her reaction was going to be. He wasn't completely comfortable singing all by himself, but he could do it if it meant Rachel was willing to give him a shot.

When Rachel reached him, she splayed her hands on his chest, feeling his heart beat pounding beneath muscle. Slowly (too slowly for Puck's liking) she moved her hadns up until the wound around his neck.

"That was beautiful Noah, thank you." Rachel clutched onto her courage and pulled his head down to hers, sealing their lips in a heated kiss. There might not have been any tongue, but Puck swore it was one of the best he had ever had. She pulled away from him gradually, becoming aware of her surroundings. She smiled up at him before backing away, not wanting Schuester to punish him because she was having a hard time keeping her hands to herself.

"I'll see you after practice. Good luck Noah." Her voice was very low and throaty, which caused Puck to have to fight down his urge to grab her back to him and kiss her until they passed out from oxygen lose. Rachel didn't give him the chance however, as she quickly grabbed her things and sauntered out of the room, flashing him a smirk over her shoulder as she exited the room.

_That girl is going to be the death of me. I just know it. But that kiss was badass! If she can kiss like that without tongue, I wonder what it will be like with? Okay, stop thinking about her Puck! Fuck, how the hell am I supposed to do that? All I can think about is having those awesomely sexy legs wrapped around me while I pound into her._

Puck made his way back to his seat, ignoring the glare he was getting from both Santana and Finn. He also ignored Quinn, who was giving him this sexy look that would have had him up her skirt a few months ago. _I really am whipped if that look doesn't get me going. Fuck._ He tuned out the rest of practice, not really interested in what Mr. Schue had to say about mash-ups.

/*/

After a night filled with hot make-out sessions in her still parentless house and again in Noah's truck that morning, Rachel was in a pretty good mood. She couldn't believe that Noah Puckerman, resident badass, was her _boyfriend_. That was just so outlandish that she still had a hard time comprehending it. But when he took her hand in the halls and walked her to class, Rachel couldn't deny the warmth that spread through her, proving that it was in fact happening.

But even in her euphoria, Rachel couldn't ignore the broody look that would pop up on his face every so often. She had heard about Coach Tanaka giving the glee club guys on the football team the ultimatium between the club or the team, but she wasn't sure how to talk to him about it. She wasn't in glee anymore, so she wasn't really sure if she had any reason to try and sway him one way or another.

Spotting Puck leaning against exit doors that was between the choir room and the path to the boy's locker room, Rachel slowly made her way over to him. They had only been together for one day, so Rachel was a little hesitant in her approach, not sure if she would be welcomed or not. But she relaxed when Noah pulled her into his side, his arm sliding around her waist, so that his fingers were drumming a beat into her side.

"Are you alright Noah?" Her voice was quiet, not wanting to disturb him if he was deep in thought. He squeezed her side before looking down at her.

"I almost got slushied today. Karofsky tried to do it today before lunch, but I was able to grab the cup and douse _him_ in it instead. But…if people think they can start slushing me now, like they did to Finn, than I have to reassert my rep. I mean, football is respected, glee isn't." Rachel stayed silent, not wanting to be the reason he chose one or the other. This decision should be his and his alone, since she was going to be with him no matter what he chose to do.

"But then I feel bad because…well I actually kinda like Glee." The end of the sentence was so quiet that if Rachel hadn't been so close to him, she would have missed it. She smiled against his chest, wrapping her own arms around him so she could rest her body against his. Puck shifted his hold so that she slid completely into his arms (he ignored how good that felt, because, hello, that would have been a pussy thing to think).

"What do you think I should do?" Rachel sighed before looking up at him, unsure exactly what he wanted her to tell him. If he wanted her to say which one he should join or not, or something comepletely different. Boys were so confusing sometimes, even when they weren't trying to be.

"I think you should do what you _want_. I know you're really good at football, but do you love it? Are you willing to put up with criticism for being in the glee club? This has to be your choice Noah, because you're going to have to live with the repercussions. There are pros and cons to both choices, as there is in everything. If you join football, you go back to being the top guy, but you will probably also go back to the guy you were before glee. If you join glee, you might lose your reputation, but you'll be doing something you've admitted to loving. I can't tell you which one to choice, but I'll support you in whatever you decided to do." Puck pulled her into a deep kiss, one that made her toes curl in her white sneakers before they simply held each other.

/*/

"I can't believe they would abandon use. I thought they were our friends." Mercedes said as the rest of the Glee club stared at the door, hoping for the missing boys to magically appear. It seemed like they had given up all hope when first Mike, then Matt walked sheepishly into the room. While the two were being greeted by Brittany and Santana, the others were distracted by the image of Puck walking up to the door, Rachel's hand in his. They watched as he bent and gave her a kiss before pulling her into the room with him.

No one said anything about the fact that Rachel wasn't in Glee anymore as they waited with baited breath for their leader to arrive. As the minutes continued to tick by, the hope any hope that they had held for him picking them over football were dashed.

"I guess we weren't cool enough for Finn." Kurt said, the hurt clear in his voice. Everyone nodded their agreement, their hearts filling with hurt and anger at the quarterback. Glee was supposed to be a family, a place for everyone to come and be themselves. But apparently, Finn wasn't willing to stand by them with pride.

While everyone made their way dejectedly over to the platforms, where they all plopped down without pulling out chairs, Puck pulled Rachel closer to him.

"Thank you B. I know you didn't want to influence me, but you did. I want to be a part of something that actually means something to me. I do like football, but it has really always been something to use as a stress reliever. Now that I'm off the team, we're going to have to find something else to do to relieve my…_stress_." Rachel gasped a little when he pulled her flush against him, her heart speeding up at his words, his voice, and his body. _Think you could get a little me affect by the guy Berry? Get control of yourself?_

Rachel ignored her inner voice and wrapped her arms around him, laughing softly. She pulled his head down so she could nip at his full lips, which caused him to groan.

"I'm sure you'll be able to manage your _stress _just fine for a while Noah." Noah groaned for a different reason, but he lightly tickled her sides, which once more caused her to start laughing. The two were completely oblivious to the stares they were getting from the other occupants of the room, many of who were sickened at the gooeyness of the two. Quinn especially was filled with jealous, for not only had Puck picked Glee for a girl who wasn't even _in_ the club anymore, but he was also being a decent human being. He never treated her with such…well respect would probably be too strong of a word, as he was obviously still Puck, which meant sexual innuendo tended to be attached to each word he spoke. But the way he was hold Berry made the head cheerleader smolder with jealous, which she couldn't wait to take out on the geek during cheerleader practice.

/*/

Finn once more came in at the last minute, "saving" the day by announcing he had talked Tanaka into letting the boys back on the team. Puck rolled his eyes as the other clubbers gave him adoring looks. They completely forgot that he had not chosen Glee over football to begin with. _That's what a badass would have done. They would have said fuck you to the douches on the team and manned up. Finn's such a pussy, but he still always gets everything. At least I have my hot little Jewish princess._

Once his thoughts shifted to Berry, Puck could not find the will power to tune into those around him. He was too busy have very vivid fantasies about what his new cheerleader girl would be able to do given a few more months of conditioning. It was good to be the Puckerone and Finn could have his damn spotlight as the hero.

**Okay, please leave some feedback! I know I've been shooting out chapters, but that will probably stop soon. So the more reviews I get, the more motivated I will be to post quicker (hint hint). **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks everyone for your wonderful reviews! I'm so sorry this chapter has taken so long to post. The last few days have been torture and I haven't been able to actually think about this chapter, let alone write it. This chapter is extremely long, so my next posting might be a few days. I thought about cutting it into another chapter, but I don't like splitting up weeks if I can help it. But I hope you all like it and I look forward reading your guy's feedback! **

LishaBaby: Thanks for the review! As you've probably guessed from the rating change, there is _definitely_ going to be more naughtiness in their relationship. ;)

Shay: Thanks girl! It's like you're reading my mind! I'm glad I'm able to outshine some other authors!

Mikachu: I love your description of Finn! Now, I can't predict the future for more than a few chapters, but I'm not really down with Finchel, so I don't think we have to worry about them getting together. I just never understood that pairing! He's a foot taller than her! Can you imagine trying to have sex with someone that tall? Your face would be at their chest level. It's ridiculous, if you ask me. Sadly, the writers didn't think to consult me on what pairings there should be, so we just have to fantasize about it. Such a bummer lol.

StormN624: Sorry about the mistakes! I was trying to get the chapter up quickly and didn't catch everything. I'm glad you like the story so far!

BitchyButNiceGleek: I haven't worked out what their relationship will be like for most of the story, just the next couple of chapters. Glad you like the story so far.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything about or to do with Glee or the actors. I also don't own any of the songs that end up in this story.**

**Also, if anyone would be interested in being a beta, please let me know! These chapters are getting really too long for me to reread every time.**

Chapter 4: Rachel and Noah, Sitting in a Tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G

(Monday of "Wheels" week)

"Good morning daddy, dad." Rachel said as she bounced into the kitchen, the glass that had had her smoothie in it in her hands. The two men smiled at their baby, relieved to see that she was in such high spirits. To say they were surprised to come back from their cruise and find out not only had Rachel quit Glee (which they never would have thought she would do), but she also became a _cheerleader_ and had a _boyfriend_. They never would have thought anything like that would happen, as Rachel had continuously remarked how much she disliked cheerleaders, but Hiram and Leroy guessed that Rachel just wanted to find a place she was welcomed.

With regards to Noah Puckerman, however, the two men were very weary. They had always known about the boy's reputation, as the Jewish community in Lima, Ohio was extremely small. Yet, they had never let it be known that they were aware, and they had always treated the Puckermans with the upmost respect and kindness. But now that Noah was actually _dating_ their baby, well, they were tremendously worried, to say the least. They just didn't want Rachel to get her heart broken, or god forbid, end up pregnant. But they had agreed to let Rachel make her own decisions and mistakes, as they knew she would never learn if they always sheltered her from life.

"Good morning darling. So what are your plans for today?" Leroy asked, folding his newspaper and placing it next to his plate.

"Oh, just the same I guess. I have Cheerios practice after school, and I need to speak with my dance teacher to work out a new schedule. I might also go over to Brittany Pierce's house later tonight, since I couldn't make it last week. Is that alright?" Rachel asked as she danced around the kitchen, putting her vegan lunch together.

She couldn't seem to stop moving around excitedly, nor could she remove the smile from her face. For the first time in a long while, Rachel was actually looking forward to school. She might still not be popular or even well liked, but she had a BOYFRIEND, one who was NOAH PUCKERMAN! Just the thought of the tanned teen made Rachel's heart begin to race and she had to turn away from her fathers to get her composure back.

"Just make sure you take your phone and a charger with you, in case of emergencies. And take your debit card so you can buy some dinner." Hiram said, sharing a look with his partner, clearly sad that their baby seemed to be growing up. Leroy squeezed Hiram's knee reassuringly.

"Thanks daddy! I should be home at a reasonable time, as it is a school night." Rachel said, closing her lunchbox and grabbing her water bottle and a granola bar. She gave each of them a kiss before twirling out of the kitchen. The men could hear as she collected her bag before shouting out a farewell and exiting the house through the garage door.

"I can't believe she's growing up so fast!" Hiram said, tears filling his eyes. Leroy shushed his partner, wrapping his arms around him and holding him. He actually couldn't believe it either, but one of them had to be strong.

"I know, but we knew it would happen eventually. I'm just worried she's bitten off more than she can chew with Noah Puckerman. I don't want to see him break her heart."

"Well I don't think we have to worry about that right now. If the fear in his eyes after your…discussion with him is any indication." Hiram chuckled, remembering the look on Noah's face when Leroy got done with his 'talk'. Leroy chuckled as well and the two men went to get ready for work, hoping that Rachel knew what she was getting herself into.

/*/

Rachel made her way into the almost deserted front hallway of McKinley High, humming to herself as she walked through the building until she made it to her locker. While she would have loved to arrive with Noah (she fought down a smile at the thought of him), she knew she got to school a lot sooner than most of the student body, Noah included.

He had said he would drive her on Sunday when they had been watching movies in her room, but she didn't want him to have to change his habits for her. She might not like his swearing or his tragically limited vocabulary, but Rachel realized that if she wanted to keep him, she would have to grow used to his quirks. And arriving right before the bell rang was one of those quirks.

Once she had all her books, Rachel made her way to the choir room, as the auditorium would be locked until school started. Her plans to get some practice in, however, were cut short when she saw Mr. Schuester sitting at the desk that was in the room. Why he had to have two offices, she wasn't sure. It's not like Glee club was the only club that used the choir room, so she wasn't sure why he had to use the desk. She was about to turn on her heel when the man looked up, obviously alerted to her presence.

"Rachel, what can I do for you?" Rachel was a little surprised at the weariness in his voice, which she could actually tell was _not_ directed at her. She could see the dark smudges under his gorgeous eyes, and Rachel felt a pang of sympathy for him. While she despised the way he treated her while she was in the club, she didn't want to see him look so dejected either. Mr. Schuester, for his part, was so tired that he couldn't even get upset when he saw the Cheerio (seriously Rachel was a _Cheerio _now…I hate Sue!).

"I was just going to try and get some practice in, since the auditorium is closed. Are you alright Mr. Schuester?" Rachel wasn't sure if she should leave or not, but she seemed rooted to the spot, wanting to help him and yet not sure if she should actually be concerned. Mr. Schue gave a heavy sigh and rolled his shoulders, indicating that he had probably been sitting in the chair awhile.

"It's just Glee stuff Rachel. There's been so much infighting that we haven't gotten anything done recently and sectionals are coming up. I'm not really sure how to get everyone together." Rachel would be lying if she said she didn't feel a sliver of happiness that the club seemed to be falling apart without her. But she didn't want them to fail just because they didn't want her, so she took a seat on the piano bench and listened to what Mr. Schue had to say.

"It's as if you're leaving as caused a split in the group. On one side, there's the students who want to…convince you to come back, and the other side refuses to give into your…(Mr. Schue coughs) walking out." Rachel rolled her eyes at the last part, knowing he was going to say 'diva fits'.

"Have you tried a bonding exercise?" Mr. Schue looked at her confusedly, which caused Rachel to question once more about his qualifications to be the director of a singing group.

"Have you given them an exercise to bring them closer together? We do trust exercises all the time in dance, as you have to trust your partner if you're going to succeed. But Glee has always been split Mr. Schue, it's not just an effect from my leaving. You preach that it's supposed to be a place where everyone can be who they really are and feel safe, but you don't enforce that." Mr. Schue looked offended at her words, so Rachel quickly continued before he could interrupt her.

"I never felt welcomed in the group. It's not only that no one appreciated my years of experience, but they went out of their way to be mean to me. I didn't go one practice without being insulted at least twice. So is the group supposed to work as one entity if its members feel harassed and abused? Even you were constantly talking over me or others, not wanting to listen to our input. I know you're the teacher, but it's _our_ dreams that are on the line. Is it any wonder I didn't want to rejoin, even though I love Glee?" Mr. Schue's face clouded over as she continued to talk, and Rachel feared she had gone too far. But she felt like he needed to hear what she had to say. When it was clear that he was either refusing to acknowledge her or was too deep in thought, Rachel grabbed her bag and moved out of the room.

Rachel was going to make her way to her homeroom, now that she didn't have anywhere to practice, when she got a text. Opening up her (ridiculously) bedazzled phone, she gave a happy smile when she saw the text was from Noah.

_*Are you here already? I can't find you?* _

_*Yes, Noah I am already at school. I am surprised that you are here thought. It is a lot earlier than when you usually grace us with your presence. *_

_*Haha, you're so funny Berry. So where are you? I'm near your locker._*

_*Well, I was on my way to my homeroom, but I can meet you at my locker.*_

Rachel grinned to herself as she dashed down the hall, not being able to contain herself at the thought of seeing him. When she got to a more crowded hallway, she slowed down, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Not only would the pleats in her skirt spread so one could actually see all the way to her spankies. While they were made to be seen during actual performances, Rachel still wasn't comfortable with people being able to see up her skirt. She conveniently disregarded that her usual skirts were just as short, or in her favorite black skirt's case, smaller.

She took a deep breath as butterflies sprang up in her stomach when she saw the tell-tell Mohawk standing next to her locker. His back was to her as he talked with Matt and Mike, so Rachel quietly made her way up behind him, sliding her arms around him from behind. She stifled a giggle when she felt him jump a little before she glanced back at her, giving her a cocky smirk.

"Good morning Noah, Matt, Mike." Rachel said as Noah pulled her around so that he was the one with his arms around her from behind. The two jocks shared a smirk between them at their teammate's actions, which earned them a good-natured glare from the 'badass'.

"Sup Rachel? I was surprised to see Puck here so early, but now it makes complete sense." Matt said, giving her a smile that was meant to make Puck irritated. It worked. Puck continued to glare at the two as he tightened his hold on the small girl, making it clear that the other two were to lay off on the flirting if they wanted to keep all their bones unbroken.

"I was pleasantly surprised as well Matt. But arriving early to school is a great habit to develop, as it gives you the extra time to get your affairs in order before the day begins, don't you agree?"

"Ah…yep, that's a great habit. Never know when you might need…help on something or other." Matt said, trying not to offend her with the knowledge that he thought she was crazy. Rachel gave him a 1000 watt smile, thinking she had finally found someone with a similar mind with regards to school. Sure, they had been in Glee together, but they had never had a single conversation.

"Exactly Matt! I am so glad to see someone other than myself actually dedicated to doing well in school. It's so important to not only make excellent grades, but to make a good impression on everyone you encounter, especially teachers. They are probably going to be the ones writing the recommendations for college, after all.

"Do you plan on continuing your education? I'm sure you could get a football or music scholarship. Although, you might want to step up a little more in Glee if you want to go the music route. You have a wonderful voice, so with a little more practice, I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem getting one. You should talk to Mr. Schue about giving you some personalized practices, as it's very hard to focus on any one individual when the Glee club meets all together.

"Oh, Noah you should do that as well! You would be an amazing baritone if you could hit your high B. I think you have an amazing voice, and you could probably knock Finn out of being the only male lead. Finn did accomplish the high B, but sometimes he still misses it, which causes the sound to get messed up. I could help you if you want, since I have perfect pitch after all. I could actually help all of you if you wanted? Well…I actually haven't heard you sing very much Mike, but I'm sure with some practice you'd be great.

"Maybe I should offer my help to some of the other Glee members. I mean, you guys won't win Sectionals if the two doing most of the singing are Finn and…Quinn I guess. I don't really see the logic in making her the lead, except she's dating Finn. Her voice, while beautiful, does not have the same amount of power that some of the others do; like Mercedes. Although she might be too much of a diva to be able to lead, yet still work with the group to make an amazing song. Oh well, I guess that's not my problem. But I would definitely help you guys if you would like me to."

Rachel trailed off, for the first time becoming aware of the astonished looks on the faces in front of her. She also noticed that the grip around her waist had slackened, and when she looked up, Noah had a similar expression on his face. She bit her lip, becoming aware that she had once more been rambling for several minutes. She hated when she did that, as it tended to make those around her begin to make fun of her and the way she talked. She snapped her mouth shut, staring down at the floor, not wanting to see them as they made fun of her.

"Um…thanks for the offer Rachel. I'll think about it and let you know, ok?" Matt said, slowly edging his way away from the couple. He could barely keep up with what she was saying, as the rate of her words was almost too fast for him to understand them. Mike nodded to the girl, not knowing what to say that wouldn't end up hurting her feelings. He had never been around anyone who talked as much, or as fast, as Rachel Berry, and he really just wanted to get back to the land of the normal.

"I'm sorry Noah. I just got excited and let my mouth run away from me again." Rachel said, keeping her head down as the two boys moved away. She was surprised when he turned her around and lifted her head with his finger before placing a small, chaste even, kiss on her lips.

"There's nothing to apologize for. Sure, you're totally crazy and obsessed with succeeding in everything, but I already knew that." Puck chuckled before leaning down to kiss her more deeply. He grinned into the kiss when Rachel wound her arms around his neck, leaning up on her tiptoes so he didn't have to bend down so far. He could never get enough of her lips. That was totally not a pussy thing to think, because the girl could kiss, seriously! It was fucking badass the way she concentrated solely on making out, making him feel like he was the only thing in her universe. That was fucking HOT!

Rachel gasped when Noah turned them until her back hit the lockers. She ignored the pain that shot throw her, since her mind could literally only focus on the way he was kissing her. They had had several make out sessions over the weekend, but never this hot before. She felt like her entire body was about to go up in flames and she had no way of cooling herself down (not that she wanted to).

Puck groaned when he pressed his body to hers, not surprised when his body began to react to her presence. He didn't usually respond so quickly to something so…trivial as kissing, but as he had said, she was AWSOME at kissing. He swore he could feel it all the way down to his toes, which was so badass. It wasn't the first time they had engaged in such activities, but everything seemed to get better and better the more they practiced. Rachel pulled back with a gasp when the bell rang, her head accidengtedly hitting the metal door behind her.

"I have to go Noah. I can't be late for homeroom." Rachel said as she reached up to message the sore spot on her head before kissing him again and pushing against his chest. Puck sighed at the loss of her lips and her body heat, but he knew that trying to get her to skip class was not going to win him any points. Grabbing her hand, he walked the small girl to her homeroom, much to the surprise of not only Rachel, but everyone in her class.

"I'll see you at lunch. Thank you for walking me to class." Rachel said, leaning up to give him another kiss. Puck grabbed her hips and pulled her fully against him, letting her feel how much he did not want to let her go. She sighed against his lips as she pulled apart, the regret evident in her eyes.

"Sure thing babe, I'll be there." Puck whispered, not wanting the class behind her, who were all watching the interaction, to hear him. Rachel smiled up at him before backing away, making her way to her desk. She watched as Puck glared threateningly at a few of the students before swaggering away. She could only shake her head at his actions before she pulled out the book her English teacher had assigned. She ignored, or tried to, the stares and whispers that were occurred around her, even when she heard her name several times. She was not going to let the attitudes and opinions of her classmates ruin her mood that kissing Noah always put her in.

/*/

"I can't believe she would say such a thing to me! I was not mean to her! She's just an overdramatic person and takes everything personally." Emma Pillsbury watched as the man she had been crushing on for a few years passed back and forth in front of her desk. She tried to ignore how cute he was, instead focusing on to number of steps he took before swinging back around.

"And then Figgins has to make things worse! This is just not my day." Will knew he was being selfish, but he couldn't believe Figgins was going to make them come up with their own way to Sectionals. So much for the arts mattering to schools.

"Well, William, did you ever think that maybe Rachel might have a point? I'm not saying that everything she said was true, but you can't deny that the students in your club make no secret of their dislike for the poor girl. It can't be easy to know you're one of the best in there, and yet be continuously made to feel like you aren't welcome."

"But I don't do that! She accused me of doing the same thing to her, and I don't. I treat all my students fairly and equally. The accusation is completely bogus and I am offended by it. Rachel always thinks every little thing is about her, and she storms out of practice every time she doesn't get a solo. That's not the attitude of a team player and I need my club to be team."

"I understand Will, but I'm trying to see it through her eyes. Before Sue requested she join the Cheerios, Glee was all Rachel had. She has been one of the number one targets for bullying ever since she came to high school, and I believe this has caused to latch onto things with a death grip. Her devotion to Glee was remarkable, but to have that love and devotion used against her as a negative aspect of her personality is wrong. I'm not saying _you_ did any such thing, as I've never sat in on one of your practices, and I don't believe you would ever intentionally do such a thing.

"But for someone that dedicated to Glee and becoming a star, when you take away that spotlight, it's only natural to feel as if that's a personal attack. I'm sure Rachel wants the Glee club to succeed, especially after she defended it a couple of weeks ago. But, it makes sense from her viewpoint why your actions, and the students' actions, were seen as an attack on her, which required her to remove herself. And maybe she does have a point, about needing to have the entire club partake in a trust exercise. Maybe you should try to come up with something that they'd all have to do together to build team unity." William stopped pacing, turning to the guidance counselor. He tried not to notice how pretty she looked, turning his thoughts to his students instead.

"I guess you're right Emma. I just…I'm actually hurt that Rachel would think I would ever intentionally hurt any of my student's feelings. But I should have thought about this sooner I guess. Maybe I wouldn't have lost Rachel if I had made it a point to stop the insults. I just hate to get involved in their dramas."

"Well, as their teacher, it is your job to make them feel safe and welcome. So, you will probably have to get used to getting in the middle of their drama if you want them to work together."

"Thanks Emma, you've helped a lot." Emma smiled as she watched the Spanish teacher leave her office. She took a deep breath, smiling when she could still smell his cologne. She knew he was married and expecting a baby, but she could not seem to distance her feelings for him. And her relationship, if you could call it that, with Tanaka was a miserable attempt at shutting out those feelings. Silently reprimanding herself, Emma turned back to her desk, pulling out her new stack of brochures to organize and clean them.

/*/

Rachel couldn't keep the smile off her face as she sat next to Noah during lunch. His hand had made its way onto her thigh, and was currently moving in a slow drag up and down her bare skin. She had to fight off the giggles that wanted to erupt, since the caress felt equal parts good and ticklish at the same time. But she would not look like a harlot in the middle of the cafeteria, so Rachel clamped onto her 'performer's' face and kept her composure.

"So are you coming over tonight Ray? Lord Tubbington has been asking when you're going to come over all weekend." Rachel hid her pleased smile at the nickname (as she had never had one before) and nodded at the blonde.

"Of course I will Brittany; I wouldn't want to disappoint his Royal Highness. You can tell Lord Tubbington that I will be at your house after practice." Brittany smiled happily as she bit into her rice cake. Santana gave Rachel an approving look, glad that the brunette always seemed to go out of her way to make Brittany feel comfortable. She still might not like the midget very much, but Santana did not want to upset her friend by making her feelings known. And now that she was seeing Matt, Santana figured she could try to be less of a bitch about the whole Puckleberry thing. (She didn't think it would last very long, because, c'mon, she loved being a bitch)

"Yay! We can do make-overs and facials and stuff. Oh…tonight's waxing night! Do you wax Ray?" Rachel almost chocked on her sandwich at Brittany's question, but luckily she was able to swallow before the food got caught in her throat.

"Um….yes I wax. It's very important for dance, as it's been proved that having less body hair can decrease your wind resistance. That is why even male dancers, or even athletes, either wax or shave themselves; it may just give the needed edge one needs to win." Santana and Puck just stared at her, so Rachel focused back on her food.

"OH, I didn't know that! Do you think Coach should make it mandatory to improve out cheers? I know a couple of girls that do _not_ take care of themselves in certain places and it's gross." Brittany said excitedly, bouncing in her chair at the thought of pleasing her coach with the suggestion.

"So you wax everywhere B?" Santana asked in a voice that Rachel was afraid might be suggestive. She glanced at the girl before spotting the interested look on Noah's face out of the corner of her eye. She felt herself blush a deep crimson at the question and the way Noah's hand had stopped on her thigh so he could concentrate on her answer.

"Well, not that I think this is a very appropriate conversation to have at the lunch table, but yes Santana, I wax _everywhere._ Unlike a cheerleader, dancers often have to perform in leotards and the material is very clingy. It would be unsightly and embarrassing if the audience was able to actually see one's lack of self-care during a performance." Rachel swore her face could not get any redder before it would literally combust.

"That is so hot." Puck mumbled, giving her smooth thigh a squeeze before continuing to run his hand up and down it. He really wanted to slide his hand up and under the skirt to see if she was telling the truth, but he figured he would get slapped and yelled at. And getting either of those two things in the middle of the cafeteria by a dwarf was not badass. He had to content himself with merely feeling the silky skin of her thigh and imagining what it would feel like if he was caressing a different area.

"Well that's great! I have a whole self-waxing kit I use when I can't get it done by someone else. Although, San does usually help me anyways." Rachel's eyes widened at the implication and Santana gave her a saucy smirk.

"I can help you out too B. I know how hard it can be to reach everything." Rachel buried her face in her sandwich when Santana started chuckling. She didn't miss the way Puck had sucked in his breath at the offer, and when she peeked at him, she could tell he was off in his own little world. _A world that involves you and Santana and a waxing kit!_

"Thank you for the offer Santana, I'll be sure to let you know if I need any assistance." Rachel was pleased when the Latina's mouth dropped open in surprise at her answer before she gave another approving smirk and nodded. Santana could appreciate a girl who could hold her own, rather physically or conversationally.

"What the hell are you guys doing here? Why are you sitting with Manhands?" Quinn's voice cut through the comfortable silence that had descended on the group. Rachel rolled her eyes at the blonde girl, not understanding why she could never just leave her alone. Being a part of the Cheerios had not lessened Quinn's hatred for her; it had actually increased it significantly.

"Hey Q! We're having lunch with Ray and Puck. Do you want to join us? I have these yummy rice cakes if you want to split." Brittany said, holding up the bag of her cheddar snacks.

"No I don't want to join you Brittany! Why in the world are you sitting with _her_?"

"'Cause Lord Tubbington said San and I were supposed to be her friend! And she's actually really nice! Did you know that she's nice?" Brittany asked, all smiles. She missed the look of hatred and anger that flashed over the cheerleader's face.

"Taking orders from your cat is stupid Brittany. Now let's go before the loser infects you." Quinn almost shrieked as she pulled on Brittany's shoulder, trying to get the other girl up. Brittany looked confusedly at Rachel, obviously not understanding what was going on.

"Why don't you just leave her alone Quinn? Don't you have someone else to go bitch to?" Puck's voice filled the small space, and he grabbed Rachel's hand in a reassuring squeeze. What? Reassuring your hot girlfriend that you had their back was totally badass.

"Shut up Puckerman! I can't believe you would lower yourself to be seen with her either. I know you don't have very high standards, but I thought even _you_ would be too repulsed by her to touch her. I guess you really will fuck anything with two legs and a set of boobs." Puck growled, yes growled, at the blonde and he was about to rise to defend himself and Rachel when the little hand slip out of his. Looking over at Rachel to see if Quinn's words had upset her, he was surprised to see a look of pure, unadulterated rage on her beautiful (shut up) face.

"Why don't you try to stop telling everyone else what to do Quinn Fabray? Don't you think you have enough on your shoulders right now? Do you really need to make it your mission to make my life hell? I would think being in your _position_ would have made you more humble, but I was obviously wrong. And insulting your 'friends' is just wrong, especially when Brittany has done nothing to earn your scorn." Rachel said quietly, not wanting the entire cafeteria to hear her.

"Shut up Gayberry, you don't know anything. You think just because Puck's lowered himself to sleeping you that people are going to like you? People still **hate** you. And Puck will throw you before too long, so I wouldn't get used to that either." Puck jumped up out of his seat, completely fed up with Quinn's bitchiness. He was sure that her normal level of being a bitch was only enhanced with her hormones, but what she was saying was uncalled for. No matter if she was his baby mama or not, she didn't have the right to speak to Rachel that way.

"Ok, I pride myself on being a nice person, but you are pushing it Quinn. I know you must be going crazy with your hormones right now, so I'm going to ignore most of what you just said. But you listen to me, (Rachel marched around the table until she was standing right in front of Quinn) you need to leave me the hell alone. I have done **nothing** to you, ever, and your treatment of me is without due cause. I have never been anything but nice and civil to you, and I will continue to do so because I am above such immature behavior. Being pregnant does not give you the right to be a…a bitch!"

Puck was amazed at the hellcat that was standing in front of him. He shared a look with Santana, and they clearly agreed that the scene was hot. But he didn't want Quinn to do anything that she would regret or would harm the baby, so Puck slid up behind Rachel and pulled her against him, so that there was a couple of feet between the two girls. He expected Rachel to fight him, but she actually relaxed against his chest and placed her hands over his, which were splayed across her stomach. She stared at the hate in Quinn's eyes, but she just didn't care about it anymore.

"What is going on?" Finn asked as he hurried over to them, his arm automatically going around Quinn. The pregnant teen turned into him, obviously wanting his sympathy.

"Nothing is going on Finn. Quinn and I were merely having a disagreement about her treatment of not only me, but of Brittany as well. I'm sure she has heard my opinions and will act accordingly. At least she will if she wants to keep the few friends she has left." Rachel said calmly, amazed she didn't even feel a twinge of jealousy towards the girl wrapped in Finn's arms. She had her own pair of strong, muscular arms to be wrapped in, so Rachel was happy. _And Noah has really lovely arms! Way better than Finns!_

"I can't believe you would attack a pregnant girl Rachel! I thought you were above such behavior!" Finn said, completely appalled at her. He had never thought that the sweet innocent girl that he had felt a pull towards would mistreat anyone, but especially Quinn, in such a way.

"You need to remove your head from your ass Hudson. Quinn came over here and started attack us, not the other way around. It's not our fault that she's such a bitch." Santana said, glaring at the tall boy. She had contemplated stealing him from Quinn, as that would have been awesome to get one up on the other Cheerio, but she was so not finding him hot right now.

"Don't talk about my girlfriend that way Santana! And you're the bitch!" Finn's reply was so juvenile that Rachel actually felt herself begin to giggle. The other four looked at her as if she had lost her mind. She tried to stifle the giggles, and when she felt she had herself composed, so faced Finn.

"I'm sorry that you think that we were attacking Quinn for any reason Finn. I would never do such a thing, as you well know. But when someone comes up to me, when I am minding my own business, and begins to insult my friends, my boyfriend, and myself, than I get angry. She had no right to say the things she was saying, and I will not lower myself to repeating them. Now if you'll excuse us." Rachel said as she grabbed her stuff in one hand and Puck's hand in the other. She was about to move past the couple when Finn's shocked voice made her pause.

"Boyfriend? You're _dating_ Puck?" The disbelief in his voice made Rachel's (metaphysical) hackles rise. Why was it so hard to believe that Puck would be interested in her? She might not be popular, but she wasn't hideous either.

"Yes Finn, Puck asked me to be his girlfriend and I happily complied." Rachel glared at Finn, who was still struck dumb with the information. Quinn looked from Finn to Rachel and her face began to get darker again, as she could clearly see the jealousy the revelation had caused in her boyfriend. _Why is everyone attracted to Rachel fucking Berry? She's not that pretty! And before Cheerios, she dressed like a grandmother!_

"C'mon babe, we have fifteen minutes before class." Puck said, the suggestion of what they could do in that time evident in his voice. Rachel gave him a small smirk before waving to Brittany and Santana and sliding her hand into Puck's. Finn watched dumbly as they sauntered out of the cafeteria, still not able to believe that PUCK, the cougar chaser, had gotten Rachel to agree to go out with him. _ Didn't she know that as soon as she sleeps with him he's going to dump her?_ Just the thought of Rachel giving it up to Puck made the fury rise so quickly in Finn's chest that he was surprised steam didn't come out of his ears.

"While this has been a blast, Brit and I got places to be." Santana said and the two Cheerios left, their pinkies linked. Quinn pushed away from him, knowing that he was not going to try and cheer her up since he was obviously still thinking about Stubbles. She marched out of the cafeteria, not willing to let anyone see her close to tears. She hated being pregnant. Finn watched her go before slowly following, not really sure what he was supposed to be doing.

When he reached the hallway, he was disgusted to see Rachel pushed up against a wall, Puck mauling at her face. His face distorted in anger and he was about to rip Puck of _his_ girl when Mike and Matt were standing in front of him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you man. You should really go make sure Quinn is doing ok. I know stress can have ill effects on the fetus." Matt said. Finn looked at him in confusion, having no idea what he was talking about. All he could think about was that Puck was taking advantage of Rachel in the hallway, where everyone could see.

"Ya Finn, Quinn's your girl, not Rachel. I know you have this thing for her, but you can't have both of them. Go to Quinn and leave Rachel alone." Mike said, the steel in his voice surprising since the other boys weren't used to hearing him talk a lot, or so forcibly. Finn wanted to argue with them, but they were right, Rachel was not _his_, Quinn was. Besides, he knew Puck, and there was no way Puck was a long-term relationship kind of guy. So Finn would wait it out and be there for Rachel when it went up in flames. With that happy thought, Finn spun around to go down the other side of the hallway in search of his girlfriend.

/*/

Puck tried to pay attention to what Mr. Schuester was saying (something about a bake sale), but all he could think about was how turned on Rachel's fight with Quinn had made him. He was totally hot for that feisty girl that seemed to be well hidden behind Berry's calm exterior. _If she gets that fired up during a fight, she's going to be crazy in the sack!_ Any possibility of him paying attention was completely ruined when he had the thought, images of a naked, sweaty Rachel rolling around his bed, clawing at him invading his mind.

For the entire time he was in the choir room, Puck had been ignoring the glares he was receiving from the 'golden' couple. He didn't give a rat's ass if Quinn didn't like him dating Rachel. Quinn had refused all his offers of help for the baby, and Puck found he didn't really care about her anymore.

The only thing that he cared about was making sure that the baby was taken care of, even if that meant it had to go to an adoptive family. He wanted to be a dad, but Puck was quickly realizing that he didn't have the means to be anything but a deadbeat. (Just like his own dad) And Puck was not willing for that to happen. So if a stranger had to raise his child, at least he knew it would be taken care of and wouldn't live in squalor. _Squalor? I've been hanging out with Berry too much! True, but that time has been fucking amazing! Remember her straddling you on her bed? Awesome!_

Puck was pulled out of his thoughts when Santana punched him in the arm. He glared at her before he noticed that the students were filing out of the room, meaning class was over and it was time for football practice. He slowly got out of his chair, actually dreading football. Usually he loved it, since he could take out all his pent up aggression, but today he really just wanted to get Berry alone again. And he did not want to have to deal with Finn and his bull shit. The dude seriously thought he could have Quinn _and_ Rachel hanging on his every word. What a douche.

Puck took his time getting to the locker room, hoping the lumbering jock would have already gone out onto the field by the time he got there. Luck seemed to be on his side when he entered a mostly empty locker room to get dressed. He knew Tanaka would make him do laps for being late, but Puck didn't give a shit. More time to himself meant more fantasy time, so he was cool.

/*/

Today's cheerleader practice was the first one that Rachel actually got to sing in. For the last two weeks, she had been focused on learning all the parts of the routines she was supposed to know, so she hadn't been given a chance to sing anything. And while she didn't sing a lot of Katy Perry, she thought "Hot N Cold" was a great song for a cheerleader routine. It had a great beat to move to and Rachel was confident she would do the pop star justice. Moving to the front of the tumbling girls, Rachel grinned at the audience (Sue) before letting the music overtake her.

"_You change your mind  
Like a girl changes clothes  
Yeah you, PMS  
Like a bitch  
I would know_

And you  
Over-think  
Always speak  
Cryptically

I should know  
That you're no good for me

Cause you're hot then you're cold  
You're yes then you're no  
You're in and you're out  
You're up and you're down

You're wrong when it's right  
It's black and it's white  
We fight, we break up  
We kiss, we make up

You!  
You don't really want to stay, no  
You!  
But you don't really want to go-oh

You're hot then you're cold  
You're yes then you're no  
You're in and you're out  
You're up and you're down

We used to be  
Just like twins  
So in sync  
The same energy  
Now's a dead battery

Used to laugh (used to laugh)  
Bout nothing (bout nothing)  
Now your plain (now your plain)  
Boring (boring)

I should know (I should know)  
you're not gonna change (change)

Cause you're hot then you're cold  
You're yes then you're no  
You're in and you're out  
You're up and you're down

You're wrong when it's right  
It's black and it's white  
We fight, we break up  
We kiss, we make up

You!  
You don't really want to stay, no (woah)  
You!  
But you don't really want to go-oh (ohhh)

You're hot then you're cold  
You're yes then you're no (no!)  
You're in and you're out  
You're up and you're down (you're down!)

Someone call the doctor  
Got a case of a love bi-polar  
Stuck on a roller coaster  
Can't get it off this ride

You change your mind  
Like a girl changes clothes

Cause you're hot then you're cold  
You're yes then you're no  
You're in and you're out  
You're up and you're down

You're wrong when it's right (When it's right)  
It's black and it's white  
We fight, we break up  
We kiss, we make up (We make up)

You're hot then you're cold (Ohhhhhhhhhhhh)  
You're yes then you're no  
You're in and you're out (Oh!)  
You're up and you're down (Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh)

You're wrong when it's right  
It's black and it's white (Oh!)  
We fight, we break up  
We kiss, we make up

You!  
You don't really want to stay, no (woah)  
You!  
But you don't really want to go-oh (ohhh)

You're hot then you're cold (Cold)  
You're yes then you're no (No)  
You're in and you're out  
You're up and you're down (Dooooown)"

Rachel held the last note, her voice so powerful her teammates were actually a little stunned. Sure, they had known she could sing (especially the girls in Glee), but they had never thought she could do _that_. Sue even looked impressed, which the Cheerios knew was an extremely hard feat to accomplish, as she never seemed fully satisfied with their routines.

"That was a good start. It could be better, however, so hit the showers and come prepared tomorrow. I don't want to see any mistakes or I'll show you the meaning of pain!" Rachel would have been shocked at the coach's harsh words, but she had learned that that was how she talked to her squad. Rachel didn't understand how Sue still managed to get people in the Cheerios or get them to work together to win anything, but she figured that was a mystery she didn't need to know the answers to. She was too high off her (brilliant!) performance to let anything damper it.

Once washed and in shorts and a loose shirt (she did not rewear her uniform or change into another one, I mean come on!) she made her way out to the parking lot, looking for the Mohawk that was attached to her boyfriend. She found him leaning against his truck with Mike and Matt, obviously in the middle of a joke or something, as all three of them were laughing. She wasn't sure if she wanted to interrupt them, but when his eyes met hers and he jerked his head in a 'come here' gesture, Rachel smiled and bounced over to him.

Puck loved her in those shorts! Seriously, her legs were like a mile long! And he could actually make out her ass a lot better in the fitting shorts than in the Cheerios skirt, which he appreciated. He pulled her against him and leaned down to capture her lips, to the groans of his friends. Jealous bastards.

"Did you have a nice practice?" Rachel asked when she pulled back. Puck would have much rather picked her up and shoved her in his truck for a much longer make out session, but he could tell from her face that that was not going to happen. Damn.

"I guess. Nothing amazing, except Gaytard proved once more to be one of the only ones to be able to score." Rachel's eyes widened at his words before she slapped him, hard, across the chest. Seriously, the little chick had an arm on her.

"Do not call Kurt that! It is offensive, twice! As a child with two gay fathers, I take offense to that. And handy capable people are not in the world for your amusement Noah Puckerman!" The other two guys were laughing (silently) at the two (Rachel's back was to them, they're not crazy enough to laugh in front of her) and Puck really wanted to punch them in their laughing faces. But first he had to placate (shut up) his angry girl.

"My bad babe, I didn't mean it." Rachel knew that was as good as she was going to get, so she left it alone. There was no way Noah Puckerman was actually say 'I'm sorry'. She glared at him for a moment longer, just to make her point, before she turned back to the others. She saw their faces as they tried to compose themselves again, but she didn't want to get into that. Boys will be boys after all and she was not going to try and change them. That would not only be a waste of her time, but it would also make them resent her. And she was just now getting to _talk_ to them, so she did not want to do anything that would make them see her as more of a loser than she was sure they already saw her.

"Come on Ray! We have to go or we'll be late! Lord Tubbington said we needed to be home before seven." Brittany said as her and Santana (once more in uniforms) came up to their group. Rachel was surprised when each girl was instantly wrapped into a pair of arms, as she hadn't known that they were seeing the football players. _And Santana doesn't look as angry with me when she's around Matt, so that's a plus._

"What are you girls doing tonight? I'm sure we could come up with something a lot fun to do." Matt said, sharing a knowing smile with the guys. Rachel rolled her eyes and lightly elbowed Noah in the stomach, which just caused him to tickle her sides.

"No, we have plans! We getting make overs and manicures and waxes. No boys allowed!" Brittany said firmly, her pretty face set in a serious (for her) expression.

"Did you say you girls are waxing?" Mike asked, his mind already half way into the gutter. What was it about waxing and guys? Santana just smirked at him, which let everyone know that her mind was right there with him.

"Yes Mike, Ray has already pointed out how important waxing is. Did you know that it could actually improve your performance in dance and stuff?" Mike merely groaned, the image of three naked girls giving each other waxes too much for him to actually form words. He was sure that it didn't really happen that way, but the visual was so hot.

"You boys are impossible! You'd think we girls were interacting in a sexual manner the way your minds work. Waxing hurts, which means it is definitely not an aphrodisiac." Rachel said, rolling her eyes. Puck did actually let out a groan when she said 'sexual', proving Rachel's point. _Boys_. Turning to him, she pulled his head down for a deep kiss before moving out of his arms.

"I'm sure you boys will find something to do to entertain yourselves. Or maybe you should all spend time alone and _take care_ of your problems." Puck's eyes widened at her obvious reference to masturbation. _Dude, this girl is going to kill me before I can even get in her pants! Sweet Moses I want her._ Rachel gave him a smirk, as if she could read his mind, before walking away with the girls, much to the guy's disappointment.

"I think you have unleashed a monster Puckerman. I never knew anything like that was hiding behind those sweaters." Matt said, shaking his head as he watched the girls walk away.

"I'm going to pretend you're talking about her new personality and _not_ her banging body, cuz then I'd have to kick your ass." Puck said, his eyes staying glued to the wiggling backside of his girl. How had no one ever noticed what a body she had? Sure, her skirts were always a tease, but damn, she had some lush curves going on. Puck knew he had to get out of there before he made a fool of himself, and a stud just did not do that. Ever.

"I gotta go. Ma's got to work and I got sis duty. But if you want to watch the game, I have it recorded." The three boys then split up with the agreement to meet at Pucks house an hour later. That gave him just enough time to get home, jerk off, and get dinner ready for Eli; perfect.

/*/

"I swear two girls could be covered in poop and guys would think it was some sexy foreplay leading up to the girls making out." Rachel said as she rubbed the soothing oil into her legs. While she had been waxing for years (you could not wear those skirts and just shave), it did still sting.

"B that's because girls, especially us girls, are hot! Who wouldn't want to see us getting it on? Its every guy's fantasy to be the meat in a threesome sandwich." Santana said, chuckling when Rachel blushed. The girl was way too easy to rile.

"Is that why we always did all that stuff with Puck?" Brittany asked, completely missing the shocked look that swept over Rachel's face.

"Yea Brit, that's why. Don't looked so shocked Berry, Puck's been around. He's very _experienced_." Santana knew she was supposed to be getting along with Berry, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to rub her previous relationship with Puck in her face. Rachel looked down, not sure how she should feel or respond. She knew Puck's reputation was one built on actual deeds and not myths, but having it confirmed was still a little shocking.

_That doesn't matter now Berry! You guys were not together then and he didn't cheat on you. You can't get mad at him for stuff he did __**before**__ you guys were a couple. That would make you not only a bad girlfriend, but a bad person. You should not hold someone's past against them, especially when they were showing their willingness to change, even if just a little._

"Well I hope he was able to fully satisfy the two of you. From what I've heard, that isn't always an easy feat." Santana almost fell off the bed at Berry's response, having expected the girl to either burst into tears or angry accusations.

"You might not be so bad Berry. I never knew you had this side to you! And yes, Puck is very good at satisfying. I'm sure you won't have a problem in that department." Rachel gave the Latina a bizarre smile, one that confused her.

"I didn't have a problem with that before, so I don't think adding Noah to the equation will end in negative results." Santana gave out a laugh at the sentence, thinking her and Berry might actually be able to be friends. If the girl was willing to talk about masturbation and sex after only dating Puck for a weekend, Santana couldn't wait to see how else the girl blossomed.

/*/

"What in the world are you doing?" Rachel asked the next day when she saw all the Glee kids rolling around in wheelchairs. Santana rolled her eyes, clearly irritated as she ran into a locker again.

"Schuester wants us to experience what it's like for Artie. I think it's ridiculous, but no one ever listens to me." Rachel nodded in understanding (as no one had listened to her in Glee either) and walked next to the Latina, keeping book bags from hitting her in the face. After the night of pampering, Rachel was surprised to note that her and Santana actually seemed to be on civil terms. She wouldn't stretch it and say they were friends, but the Latina wasn't going out of her way to insult her anymore. Which Rachel was thankful for.

"Well, I do understand why he's doing this. People do usually overlook the struggles others that are different have to go through, even just making it down the hallway. But I'm sorry he's making you guys actually use these things. It doesn't look like fun."

"You're telling me. And we have to have a _bake sale_ to raise enough money to pay for the bus to Sectionals. A bake sale! Like we're in junior high! That man is seriously mentally challenged." Rachel bit her lip to keep from laughing, knowing it was rude to jock about someone's mental capabilities. But Mr. Schue did not always show the best judgment, especially if their song selections were anything to go by.

"I'll see you at lunch then. I have a free period so I'll go see if I can use the home ec kitchen. I make amazing cookies, even though I usually use egg and dietary supplements, but I can make them with the real things since I know the kitchen will not be stocked for a vegan baker."

"Girl, you do not have to do that. You're not even in Glee club anymore, why would you want to help us?"

"Well, my boyfriend is in the club, so I have to show my support for him. And you and Brit are members too, so I have to support you guys. And I love Glee club, even when most of the members don't like me, so I need to support it. I would hate for you guys to have to miss Sectionals because you couldn't come up with enough money. It's really not that big of a deal." Rachel shrugged before waving and heading towards the home ec kitchen.

Once she made it into the room with the okay from the teacher (she was thrilled a student actually wanted to use the kitchen for food purposes) Rachel began pulling out ingredients. She really did debate about running home to get her supplements, not liking the idea of using real eggs or milk. But she had to rationalize that the poor creatures had were already lost, as you could not get a baby chick out of a boxed egg, much to Brittany's confusion. And it was for the Glee club and Puck, so she could make it work. It wasn't like she had always been a vegan, so Rachel squared her shoulders and pulled the eggs and dairy products out with no more thoughts.

She was in the middle of mixing the cookie dough together to get the right consistency when Puck walked in. She lost track of what she was doing when she saw him, his black button down shirt making him even more gorgeous. He smirked at her as he made his way around the island.

"What are you doing?" Puck leaned down and nibbled on the side of her neck, really wishing she was wearing that blue tank top thing from a few weeks ago. The Cheerios uniform really covered up too much of her skin for his liking. Rachel gave a little sigh, letting Puck know that he found a good spot (he is a stud after all) and he grinned against her skin before applying more pressure. Rachel felt her eyes close as she leaned her leaned her head to the side, letting him have more access.

"I'm baking cookies for you to take to the bake sale. Oh." Rachel's eyes popped back open when he nipped behind her ear and she felt a jolt of electricity shot through her body. Puck chuckled against her skin before lifting his head, not wanting to start something he wasn't going to be able to finish. (What? It wasn't cool to have a boner at school with no way to satisfy it! He was not 13 and a stud just did not have that issue.)

"You didn't have to do that babe." Rachel smiled up at him before turning back to the bowl of dough.

"I know, as I told Santana. But I like helping you out. Plus, it's for a good cause. I can't believe that the school wouldn't pay for the bus, as that could be seen as discriminating against a handy-capable individual. Artie's parents could actually probably sue the school for such treatment, but I doubt it would help with Sectionals." Rachel shrugged as she bent down to pull out a cookie sheet. Puck couldn't resist, so he reached out and ran a hand down her ass. Rachel jerked up, not prepared for the intimate touch, but before she could reprimand him, Puck was pulling her into a kiss.

Rachel wasn't really sure how she ended up on top of the cabinet, but her brain seemed to be working only fast enough to produce "oh" and "oo", so she didn't really care. Puck and her had definitely had some heated make out sessions, especially the day before in the hallway, but she was literally a quivering mess today. The feel of him between her legs, his firm body (and she did mean _firm_) was making her tingle in a most delicious way. Especially when he would grind against her, causing a friction that she knew she should not be allowing. They had only been seeing each other for a few days and this behavior was absolutely inappropriate for such a short relationship, but Rachel's body didn't seem to listen the any rational thought that was able to work its way through her hazy brain.

Rachel tore herself away from his (addictive) lips when she heard the buzzer on the oven signally the oven was preheated. Puck just continued kissing down her face until he got to her neck again, where he wanted to pay due respect to the silky skin. Rachel was almost tempted to let him, but when she glanced at the clock, she was shocked to see she only had twenty-five minutes until the next period.

"Noah, we have to stop. I have to get this dough in the oven now or there's not going to be enough time for it to bake properly and cool. It has to cook for thirteen minutes and then has too cool, which could take longer than I have before class starts." Rachel said, pushing against the sold wall that was his chest. She couldn't stop herself from giving the muscles a caress, which she knew was counter-productive. But you try being pressed so close to Noah Puckerman and not feel those amazing muscles! You wouldn't last a minute!

Giving an exaggerated sigh of resignation, Puck pulled away from her. Rachel quickly hopped off the counter and dished out the dough. Thankfully (especially now) there were enough cookie sheets to bake the cookies at once in the double stacked ovens, which means she wouldn't have to do it one sheet at a time. Once down, Puck tried to get her to make out again, but she had just laughed and pointed him towards the mess on the cabinet, clearly meaning they needed to get to cleaning.

Puck groaned to himself as he picked up a rag, not believing he was actually thinking about helping _cleaning_. What a pansy thing to do. He would _never_ admit that he helped out at home, which was only because he mom worked crazy hours and couldn't keep the house as clean as she would like to. He watched Berry pick up the bowl holding the flour (who knew you used flour to help shape cookies) and he couldn't resist. Reaching out slowly, he saw Rachel give him a confused look as he took a handful of the white powder in his hands. That look of confusion quickly turned to one of shock and outrage when he through the flour into her face. He couldn't stop the chuckle that seeing her face covered in white flour caused him.

Rachel could not believe Noah had just done that. She was going to reprimand him, she was wearing her uniform after all, but she raised the bowl instead. Puck's eyes widened before slamming shut just before the entire bowl was thrown onto him, coving his entire face and shoulders in flour. Opening his eyes, he was met with the giggling face of his girl. _It is so on!_

Ten minutes later, two very dirty teens had to once more break out of a (hot) kiss when the timer went off on the stove again. Puck was tempted to just let the cookies burn, but he knew Rachel had put a lot of work into them. He helped her remove the cookies from the hot sheets and place on cooling racks before he pulled her back into his arms, wanting to get back to the important stuff. But he was stopped when the home ec teacher came into the room, demanding to know what was going on. Rachel looked like a deer in headlights, and Puck knew she wasn't used to getting into trouble, so he took the heat. Hey, if taking the heat for his girl warned him points, than that was total badass!

Puck stayed behind to get chewed out by the teacher, getting an amazed and grateful look from Rachel before she streaked out of the room, needing to see the supply office for a new uniform before next class. Puck didn't mind really, and after promising that he would not come back into the kitchen without authorized supervision (yeah, ok, like he would ever come back into the kitchen period) the teacher marched off, demanding he clean the room up. He found he was actually in a pleased mood as he cleaned up the mess, even placing the cooled cookies in the containers Berry had left on the cabinet.

If anyone gave him weird looks when he walked (sauntered) down the hallway with two plastic containers of cookies, he ignored them. He also didn't acknowledge that the whispers and stares might also have to do with the fact that he was covered in several different baking ingredients. Whatever, he was a total stud and could rock the look. Plus, he got an extremely hot make out session out of it, so he didn't see a problem. Besides, it's not like anyone had the guts to say anything to him. His role in Glee had not diminished the power of his fits, which he took great strives to ensure never happened.

Walking into the Spanish class, he was pleased to note that he was actually interrupting Mr. Schuester. The man's eyes, along with everyone else's, got wide as he took in Puck.

"Puck, what in the world happened?" Mr. Schuester dropped his marker onto the tray in front of the white board, moving towards the young man in shock. Puck rolled his shoulders and gave him a…well it looked like a shit-eating smirk if Will was honest.

"Nothing much teach. Berry and I just got into a little food battle. It was totally _hot_." Puck knew he should be saying this, especially not to a teacher, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted everyone to know how sexy Rachel was and how fun she could actually be. Because, really, a boring person did not engage in food fights.

"Rachel Berry? You got her to get into a food fight? Puck, that was very irresponsible of the both of you." Puck rolled his eyes at the man. Seriously, he was a total buzz kill.

"Whatever, here are the cookies she made. She had to go get a new uniform cuz she's _covered_." Puck smirked again before sauntering back out of the class, to a speechless Mr. Schuester, and made his way outside, wanting to drive home and shower and change before lunch. He ignored the small (very small) voice in his head that mentioned he was once more missing his first two classes and that he would have a hard time passing. Who wanted to go to class, especially before noon? It was just plain stupid to Puck.

/*/

After a very unsuccessful lunch sale, and a wig out from both Finn and Quinn, Puck was desperate to make some money. Rachel's cookies had sold, but that only meant that they had about fifty dollars, which was nowhere what they needed. He was actually more concerned for Artie than Quinn (surprisingly), but he figured that since she wasn't going to let him get involved at all with his child, he would just have to wait until it was born to do anything. If she wanted to be a total bitch about everything, than she could keep up her damn secret and make Finn be the responsible one. It was not skin off his back. The only problem with this thought was that he did want to take care of her, since that meant he would be taking care of his baby; but Puck had to fight that down once more.

If Quinn didn't want his help, than Puck was going to focus on helping someone who actually deserved it. Artie was really kinda awesome, especially when they would have jam sessions before Glee class. Not that he would ever admit that out loud. So with the thought of Artie being left behind, Puck found himself in front of one of the creepiest guys (like ever) to buy some medical grade pot. He knew Rachel would not approve, but as long as she didn't find out, he didn't see a problem. It did suck, however, that he had to do the baking at home, since he couldn't use the home ec room, and Eli actually thought she was getting cupcakes. This meant he had to make two versions, one for the fam and one for school. Being the Puckerone was not always an easy job.

/*/

Puck grinned to himself as he watched the line reform in front of the table. He had been up for most of the night, since he was going to have to bake hundreds of cupcakes to make the right amount of money, and he was exhausted. He had even forgotten to warn Rachel not to give the five she had bought to her dads, knowing the male Berries would not be as easily fooled as the rest of the school was.

What he didn't expect was for Rachel to actually give into her curiosity, since everyone seemed enthralled with the cupcakes, and eat one. By the time she even thought about the fact that they weren't vegan, Rachel found she had already eaten all five of them. She couldn't even remember doing that, nor could she really feel the way her stomach tightened at all the sugar. All she could think about was Noah and how hot he was. After 'taking care' of herself in the bathroom, she was shocked to realize that she was even more turned on.

She ended up straddling Noah (in the middle of the cafeteria!) and gluing her lips to his. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, and her self-indulgence had only fueled the flames. Puck was shocked at her behavior, but he wasn't going to stop her. She was wiggling around on his lap in the best way possible and her mouth was devouring his. He only pulled away when he felt his chair get kicked. Looking up, he saw the wide eyes of Kurt and Mercedes, which caused him to become aware of just where they were.

"Baby, we need to take this some place more private." Noah whispered, moving to set her on the ground. The sound she made at the loss of contact when straight to his cock and he quickly shoved his chair out of the way, grabbing her hand and making a dash out of the cafeteria. Kurt and Mercedes watched in astonishment as they saw Rachel wrap her body once more around the football player's as the doors closed. They had never thought Rachel could be so…raunchy.

Puck pushed Rachel into a supply closet, wedging something (it was dark, he didn't know what it was) against the door before reattaching his lips to hers. He wasn't sure how long they actually made out, but soon Rachel was pushing him away to pull his shirt over his head. He hated to admit it, but Puck actually heard the warning bells going off in his head, which made him pull back. Reaching over to the wall, Puck flipped on the light so he could actually see the panting girl, who was trying to remove her top.

"Rachel, what are you doing? I thought you weren't ready for this?" Puck couldn't actually believe he was doing this. What kind of stud stops a willing girl from having their way with him? But something didn't seem right, and Noah was not the type of guy to take advantage of girls, no matter what they might say afterwards.

"Oh Noah, you're so…yummy. Can you help me, I can't get this off. I'm so hot! Are you hot? Of course you are! You're like sex on legs! God I'm so hot." Puck felt his ego, and his cock, swell at her words, but he still felt like something was _off_. He pulled her against him so that she had to stop her attempts to disrobe so he could look into her eyes. They were bloodshot and her pupils dilated. _She's fucking high! _

"Rachel, did you eat those cupcakes?" When she nodded, Puck felt himself groan. He should have known that someone with no resistance to the drug, and then eating FIVE of the cupcakes, would definitely fuck someone up. He had not thought that far ahead, but even if he had, he would never have guessed Rachel would eat the treats. They weren't vegan after all.

"Listen to me baby; you're having…a bad reaction to the cupcakes. It must be the eggs or dairy or something. I'm going to take you home, ok? I don't think you should go to classes today." Rachel hummed against him, her hands working themselves out from being trapped between their bodies and ran them down his back, trying to memorize the shapes of the muscles. Puck had to push her away before he said the fuck with it and took her against the supply shelf. That was not the way Rachel Berry deserved to be treated, especially not when she was in an impaired state of mind.

Puck was finally able to get her into his truck after several pit stops for making out and groping (he couldn't help himself) and he took her home. Rachel seemed fascinated with his body (who wouldn't be, he was a sexy beast), but the constant touching was making it difficult to concentrate on the road. Especially when she slithered over to him and reached down, squeezing his cock through the denim of his jeans. He seriously almost wrecked from jerking so hard.

"Thank god." Puck whispered as he pulled up to her house. He quickly moved out of the cab before she could grab him again and moved over to her side, helping her out. Rachel gave him a beaming smile at his manners and clung to his side as they made their way up to her front door. It took her ages to find her keys, but finally they were in the house. Although, now that they were here, Puck wasn't sure what to do with her. A high from baked goods took longer to set in, but it also took longer to wear off. _Food, food will help ease it._

With that thought, Puck moved towards the kitchen. He was not very surprised when she followed him, since she seemed to be obsessed with getting him naked. He really wished it was a fully sober, clear headed Rachel that wanted to tear his clothes off, because he would be all over that. He pulled upon the door to the fringe and almost groaned when he saw a shit tone of fruit and vegetables. Who could live off that shit? He had almost given up hope on finding anything good when he spotted the pizza in the freezer. He didn't even care that it had VEGAN in big letters on the box, anything was better than grapes and celery.

Turning to show Rachel what he was going to cook, he forgot to breath at the sight of Rachel, in only her bra and panties, sitting on the counter of the island. She smiled at him in the most seductive way before running her hand down her body, moaning when her fingers tweaked her nipple before continuing their journey. _This is literally hell! I have died and gone to hell! How am I supposed to not bang her when she's doing that?_ The pizza box slipped from his fingers when Rachel rubbed herself through her panties, moaning again and arching her back.

Moving quickly, before his cock got the better of him, Puck grabbed her and through her over his shoulder. It took more willpower than he knew he even possessed not to caress her amazing ass, but he hurried up the stairs to her room. Rachel kept wiggling, rubbing herself on his shoulder, trying to generate friction while she groped at his back and behind. When he finally reached her room, Puck almost threw the horny girl inside before locking and slamming the door shut. He only hoped that she was too far gone to realize that she could simply flip the switch to get out.

Moving over to the guest bathroom, Puck had to jerk off before he blew in his pants, which was not badass at all. He kept remembering the feel of her grabbing his cock and the sight of her on the counter, touching herself. Puck moaned as his strokes got faster, his mind building off the actual scene until Rachel was naked and open and masturbating in front of him. _For him_. Puck came with a groan, catching his spendings in some toilet paper before he washed his hands and made his way back down stairs. He tried to ignore the moaning he heard from behind her door, but his cock was already getting hard again at the thought that she was actually getting herself off.

_That girl is either going to kill me from sexual frustration, or from her fathers finding an extremely horny teen male in their house._ Puck shuddered at the thought of what they would do, especially Leroy, if they found the two of them in their present states of arousal. He just hoped that Berry's high wore off before they were due home. Pulling out his phone, Puck texted Matt to let him know where he was and to tell them sorry for missing Glee and football.

With that taken care of, Puck made his way back into the kitchen to make the pizza and watch some TV. There was no way he was going back upstairs until Rachel had calmed down, because he doubted he would be able to control himself.

/*/

_Few Hours Later_

Rachel slowly made her way out of her room, completely mortified with her behavior. She didn't know what was wrong with her, just that she had to have Noah as soon as possible. Her entire body had been in flames and the need inside her core had over ridden all her mental capabilities. When he had locked her in her own room, Rachel had had to take matters into her own hands (pun intended). She was shocked that she had not only done _that_ several times, but that each one was extremely intense. She had never orgasmed so hard before and Rachel didn't know if she should be embarrassed at her behavior to thankful for whatever made her act that way.

She quietly made her way downstairs, not wanting to alert anyone to her presence. She wasn't sure if her dads were home or if Noah was still there, so she tried to stay as quiet as possible. When she saw her uniform folded at the bottom of the stairs, Rachel almost ran back to her room in mortification. She remembered stripping in the kitchen and…giving Noah a show. _What the hell was wrong with me? I was acting like a whore!_

The sounds of the TV caught her attention and she made her way into the living room, a small smile spreading across her lips at the sight of Noah stretched out on the couch, the remote dangling loosely from his hand.

She grabbed the throw blanket off the other couch and covered him, before collecting his plate and glass and going into the kitchen. She did not look at the counter of her shame as she washed the dishes and made herself a fruit salad. Once done, Rachel grabbed her book bag and sat at the dining room table, preparing to do some homework while she ate. She would let Noah sleep for a while longer before sending him home, knowing her dads would be home in a couple of hours. She did not want to draw any more attention to her indecent behavior, and having a boy at home when her fathers got home was definitely drawing attention.

Once she finally got the teen to wake up, he assured her that she was fine and had just had a strong reaction from the cupcakes. She was too embarrassed to ask any further questions, so she just thanked him for taking care of him and kissed him goodbye. Rachel never would have believed that Noah could be such a gentleman, and she was pleasantly surprised with how well he had kept his hands to himself. She knew that her behavior, or _groping_, had made it very hard on him not to take her up on her offer. But the fact that he kept her away from him proved that he did care for her as more than just a booty call, which made Rachel extremely happy. She hummed to herself as she finished her homework before picking up the house and then going upstairs. After her day, she was exhausted and was asleep when her head hit the pillow.

**Song: Katy Perry- "Cold N Hot"**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter. It really got out of hand, but I couldn't really separate it. Please let me know what you all think! Any and all feedback is welcome and makes me happy!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone! They make me really happy! I've had a little difficulty getting this chapter written, so I apologize for the delay. There are some very serious themes coming up in this chapter, so be warned. I hope you will still enjoy the chapter, even when these themes come up. Please review and let me know what you guys think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't think I have to keep saying it, but I do not own Glee or anything to do with it; nor do I own any song selections.**

Chapter 5: Loss

(Early Saturday morning after "Wheels" week)

Rachel jerked awake from the combination of her cell phone ringing and a tapping on her window. She rubbed her eyes, trying to see what the ridiculously bright screen said, but before her eyes could adjust, there was another tap on the window. Rachel looked at her closed, curtain drawn window, unsure if she really wanted to look. What if it was a burglar or rapist or something? _They don't usually knock on windows Rachel. They usually just break in._

Leaning over, she turned on her bedside lamp, her eyes automatically closing from the brightness. But she forced her eyes open and looked at her phone, seeing a missed call and text from Noah.

_*Are you awake? I need to talk to you.*_

Rachel got out of bed and slowly pulled her curtains back, not sure if she was doing the right thing. Just because Noah texted this late doesn't mean he's outside her window. Only, it does, as she can see Puck's face looking back at her from the tree outside her window. She tries not to jump, but is sure she failed, before sliding her window up.

"What are you doing here Noah? It's like four in the morning. Couldn't it have waited until morning?" Rachel whispers, moving out of the way so his sinewy body could slide into her room. She was going to continue to reprimand him when she saw his face, which had a look of such deep sadness and pain that she pulled him over to her bed, easing his cold body down. She didn't want to think about how long he had been trying to get her attention, as his body was freezing from the November night.

"Noah, what happened? Is everything ok? Did something happen to your mom? Your sister?" Rachel asked quietly as she moved to lock her door and grabbed another blanket from her closet. She waited patiently for him to respond, not wanting to push him for answers before he was ready. Walking back to him, she helped ease him out of his coat and shirt, wrapping him in the soft blanket and setting his clothes to the side. She knew that something was terribly wrong when he didn't even make a sexual innuendo about her undressing him. Taking a deep breath and silently praying for the strength to help him with whatever it was that had happened; Rachel climbed on to the bed next to him and pulled him up against her headboard.

"Baby, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." Rachel whispered, wrapping her arms around him and leaning into his shoulder. She became aware of the trembling, which really freaked her out, because Rachel didn't know what could be so bad to actually affect Noah Puckerman to such a degree. They set there for what felt like hours, and when Noah began to speak, his voice was so quiet and hoarse that Rachel almost didn't hear him.

"Quinn lost the baby." Puck could feel the tears surge to his eyes with his admission. He knew he shouldn't be there with her, especially since she was going to hate him after she found out the truth. But he couldn't keep himself from seeking her out; needing her embrace and beautiful face, especially as he felt like his entire chest was going to cave inwards because his heart had been ripped out.

"Oh, poor Quinn. Do you know what happened? How'd you find out?" Rachel's voice was soft, not wanting to be too loud and ruin his sudden openness. Puck buried his face in her hair, and Rachel was surprised when she felt the warm wetness of tears begin to hit her shoulder.

"Finn came to see me…

_Puck was pulled from sleep when the rough shaking of his shoulders would not let up. Who in their fucking mind would wake him up before he was ready to rise? They must have a death wish or something! Finally Puck pride his eyes open, his gaze blurry until it focused on the tall boy above him. Sitting up in bed, Puck tried to focus on the figure in his room, his mind seeming to work sluggishly._

"_Finn? What are you doing here at this hour?" Puck's eyes were able to focus enough to see his best friend's face, which had a look of pure hurt that Puck thought he had found out about his night with Quinn. 'It was going to catch up with me one of these days. I guess I better face it head on.' But before he could even open his mouth again, Finn had sat down on his bed, his shoulders beginning to shake._

"_I needed to talk to someone, and since my mom doesn't know about it, I hoped you wouldn't mind. I know it's late, but…I just came from the hospital and…" Finn seemed to choke on his words, tears clogging his throat. Puck's stomach seemed to drop out of his body, a feeling of dread filling him._

"_What happened Finn? Is Carole alright? Is it…Quinn? Did something happen to Quinn?" Even as he asked, Puck could already tell that he had hit the nail on the head. Finn crumpled into himself, his arms wrapped tightly around himself as his entire body began to shake. Puck felt his own throat contract as a large lump formed, making it difficult to swallow. _

"_She called me after we left school. She was cramping really bad and then there was blood. I took her to the ER, but they said they couldn't do anything for her. She was already in the process of losing the baby; they said we just had to wait it out because they couldn't save the baby." Puck suddenly couldn't breathe his chest tightening until he thought it would break. 'Quinn had lost the baby. Lost the baby. My baby girl is gone. Gone. I didn't even get to see her face. She's gone, I'll never know her.' The thoughts seemed to be a recording, replaying in his mind over and over and over again. _

"_I know I didn't want to be a dad, not at sixteen. But…I think I may have loved the baby. It was a part of me and Quinn, someone that would have always had a little part of me with them. I never imagined it would hurt this bad to lose her." Finn's voice was hoarse and Puck knew his friend must be feeling the same thing he was. He wanted to rave that it was __**his**__ baby girl that had died, not Finn's, but he held his tongue. He played his best friend role and wrapped Finn in a brotherly hug, wishing he could find someone to console him as well. 'I need Rachel. She might hate me after finding out, but I need to see her.'_

_The two best friends sat in silence as they both tried to come to terms with their loss. After a couple of hours, Finn finally left, his shoulders still slumped and the look on his face not having changed. Puck slowly got dressed, realizing that he might truly have nothing after he saw his girl. But he couldn't even imagine not seeing her as soon as possible, so he grabbed his truck keys and made his way over to her house, knowing it might be the last time she held him._

Rachel couldn't stop the tears from falling as Puck told her about Finn's visit. Her heart hurt for both Finn and Quinn, not knowing how the two would make it past this. She couldn't imagine the pain they must be feeling, especially Quinn. To have a life growing inside your body one day, and then the next for it to just be gone with no reward of a living child, had to be excruciatingly painful.

"I hope they can make it through this. They were certainly too young to have a baby, but the loss of it…I can't even put into words." Rachel stopped talking when her words seemed to make Puck even more distraught. At first she thought he was sympathizing with Finn, as he was his best friend. But as they sat there, Puck literally crying on her shoulder, Rachel could feel her stomach tighten with dread. She had never seen Noah cry about anything, and she didn't think his best friend's girlfriend having a miscarriage would be the cause of his breakdown.

"Oh Noah…please tell me it's not true." Rachel knew she didn't have to fully explain herself when he burrowed further into her hair, his arms tightening around her. _'It can't be true! Noah wouldn't do that to his best friend! No, but __**Puck**__ would._' She could feel the anger begin to rise, her not understanding how he could betray his best friend, who he'd known for a good decade, when her brain caught up with her heart. If Finn wasn't the real father, then Puck was, and Puck (no Noah) had lost his baby girl.

"Oh baby I'm so sorry." Her eyes flooded anew as she wrapped herself around him, not even trying to hold onto her anger. His actions were in the past, when there was just Puck and no Noah. And while she thought his actions were wrong and deserved to be yelled at for, her heart was contracting for the obvious pain he was feeling.

"I'm so sorry. I never meant for anything to happen. I was drunk and mad at Finn and…I'm sorry. I can't believe she's gone." Puck's voice broke several times as he tried to speak, which just caused Rachel to tighten her hold on him. Puck was so relieved that she hadn't pulled away from him, especially when she figured out what he had done, that he was able to slowly pull away, staring down at her tear streaked face. He knew his eyes were puffy and red from his own crying, but when she didn't make fun of him for not being a badass, Puck knew Rachel was definitely the person he needed.

"Quinn just told me she was a girl this afternoon, before we gave the money over to Mr. Schue. I'd never felt such a…surge of happiness before. I know she didn't want her, didn't want to keep her; but I did. I wanted to raise her, to let her know every day that I loved her and wasn't ashamed to have her. But she's gone now." His voice broke at the last sentence and Puck had squeeze his eyes shut to keep from crying again. But it felt like there was a gaping hole where he had begun to develop feelings for the life growing inside of Quinn.

"Shh Noah. Just…just sleep for now. We'll talk about this later. Just rest and let me hold you." Rachel was surprised she was able to speak over the tears clogging her own throat. But she gave a small, pained smile and pulled him down to the pillows, pulling the blanket from him and chucking it the foot of the bed.

She pulled her comforter up over the two of them and snuggled into him, wrapping her body around him as best she could. Puck held her tightly to his chest, not believing that he had someone with so much love and compassion that the actually wanted to comfort him, even with the knowledge of his betrayal. Not knowing if she would be so forgiving in the light of day, Puck was going to cherish the time he had to hold her to him, which would hopefully be enough for him since he knew it would be asking for too much for her to keep him around.

/*/

Rachel quietly made her way out of bed, not wanting to wake him. She pulled her curtains closed again, the morning sun very close to reaching Puck's exhausted face. She didn't want anything to disturb him, especially not after the night he had had. She tried not to think too hard about the pain he was in as she grabbed some clothes and jumped into the shower. She wasn't sure if she had ever washed herself so quickly, but with the fear of the noise stirring him, Rachel found herself racing through her morning routine.

Once clean and put together, Rachel silently made her way out of her room. She headed to the kitchen, planning to make her smoothie even though she figured her morning workout would not be done that day. But it wasn't that much of a sacrifice, and Rachel just kept picturing Noah's broken face, so she just shrugged off the nagging voice saying that if she slacked off today, she would keep slacking off. Nothing was more important right now than getting Noah through this heartbreak.

"Good morning baby. We were wondering when you were going to get up. Running a little behind this morning?" Leroy asked as he flipped pancakes at the stove. They were nowhere near as good as real ones, since they used supplements for eggs and dairy, but Leroy prided himself on being able to make delicious pancakes. He glanced over to his partner, sharing a look that clearly asked if they should mention the fact that her door was locked that morning; and that there was a beat up truck in front of their house.

"Oh, I thought you guys would have already gone to work." Rachel said in surprise. The two men usually left around eight on Saturdays, so she was shocked to see them there when it was close to 9:30. She gave first Hiram, then Leroy a morning kiss as she made her way to the fridge, pulling out the makings for her smoothie.

"Baby…is there something wrong?" Hiram asked quietly, noting the drawn look of Rachel's face. He could see that she was hurting, and Hiram hated when his girl was hurting. Leroy dished out three plates of pancakes, which also surprised Rachel. She didn't usually eat a 'real' breakfast, but she could see the tell-tell spots of chocolate chips, and she gave in. How were you supposed to pass up chocolate chip pancakes, a definite comfort food, when you felt this bad? Sitting down at the breakfast bar next to Hiram, she stared down at her plate before slowly explaining what had happened.

Hiram gathered her in his arms as she cried, his heart breaking for her. Leroy walked around the bar until he too was hugging her, which seemed to make her break down even more. The two men felt horrible for Rachel, but especially for the three people this affected most. They might not like the idea of Noah Puckerman having betrayed his friend and gotten a girl pregnant, but they refused to let his past actions cloud their judgments about the boy. Everyone made mistakes, and the Berrys did not judge someone solely on those mistakes.

"I feel so bad for him daddy. I've never seen him look so…broken. It was like his entire heart was ripped from his chest and he didn't know how to get it back. I don't know what to do for him."

"You just have to be there for him baby. He's going to need you and your support more now than ever before. I know you two have not been seeing each other for an extraordinary amount of time, but obviously he trusts you and hopes that you'll give him that support. He wouldn't have come here if he didn't need you." Leroy rubbed soothing circles in her back.

"Should I tell Finn? I mean, he's my friend too, so should I tell him the truth?"

"No, I don't think it's your place. You have to remember that Finn is probably feeling the same sense of loss and hurt that Noah is. You don't want to be the one responsible for adding to that pain by letting it be known that his girlfriend and best friend betrayed him. The two will tell him the truth when they are ready, and you just have to make sure to be there for everyone when the fallout comes. I know it puts you in a horrible position, but you need to keep out of their business as much as possible. I can't even think about what Quinn must be feeling right now, and I don't want you to make things worse for her."

"You're right dad. I'm just going to support all of them and let them know that I'm here for them. I still can't believe that this has happened. What's the point of causing this much heartache?" Hiram pulled away from his daughter, seeing the hurt and anger that was stamped into her face.

"Sometimes things don't work out, but everything happens for a reason. No one can know _His_ plans, but _He_ doesn't make mistakes. Now eat your breakfast before it gets cold." Rachel sniffled before slowly eating her pancakes. Her fathers also began to eat, and the silence was more awkward than Rachel could ever remember it being. She didn't know if it was because of her confessions, the boy upstairs in her bed, or her fathers' new knowledge of said boy, but Rachel just wanted everything to go back to normal. To say she was relieved when both the men said their goodbyes and headed for work would be an understatement.

She did the dishes before making another round of pancakes, which she left in the warm oven. Rachel went about cleaning, trying to keep herself busy, when she saw the slumped figure walking towards his truck through the window. Racing towards the front door, not wanting him to leave, Rachel wrenched it open and stepped out onto her front porch.

"NOAH! Where are you going?" Rachel called out. He turned towards her, a look of surprise on his face. He had obviously thought she didn't want him to stay, since she hadn't been upstairs when he woke. But when she beckoned him back, Puck felt relief surge through him and quickly made his way to her. Rachel grabbed his warm hand in hers and pulled him back into the house.

"Where were you going? I didn't know you were even awake yet?" Rachel questioned as she pulled him into the kitchen and pushed him into a barstool.

"I thought you didn't want to speak to me this morning, so I was going home before you could…actually tell me you wanted me to go." Puck's voice was quiet, the night of crying making it difficult to talk. He never knew that a headache, one that rivaled a hangover headache, accompanied hours of crying, and Puck really just wanted to bury his head somewhere cool and dark. He watched as the pixie of a girl flounced around the kitchen, pouring orange juice into a tall glass before pulling a plate of…pancakes out of the oven. She placed the items in front of him before handing him the maple syrup and sitting down next to him.

"I just didn't want to wake you Noah. I figured you needed as much sleep as you could get. Now eat your breakfast." Rachel said, smiling softly at him. Puck just stares at her for a couple of seconds, which causes Rachel to squirm before jumping out of the seat, going back to picking up the first floor. Puck slowly begins to eat, not really tasting the food, more worried about the conversation he could feel was coming. When he was done, Puck washed his dishes and set them on the drying rack before making his way through the first floor, looking for his girlfriend. He finally found her in the den, where she was rearranging an already neat bookshelf.

"I can go if you want." Rachel jumped about a foot when the voice spoke from behind her. She whirled around, a cat figurine clutched in her hands. She stared at him until Puck could feel himself begin to blush (which was totally unbadass) before she set the statuette down on the bookshelf.

"No, no that's okay. I don't want you to leave, you just startled me. We need to talk." Rachel said, pointing towards the plush leather couch sitting against a wall. Puck followed her over to the piece of furniture, unsure if he really wanted to have this conversation. He could run now (yes run away) and pretend that she was not going to break up with him. He was tempted to do just that until the small hand pulled him down, making it clear that that option was clearly not on the table.

"Before you get any crazy ideas, we're okay Noah." Rachel watched as the relief flooded his face, which caused her to smile at him. But the pressure from all his revelations made it hard to keep the smile in place, and she found it falling quickly. She took his hands in hers, their bodies turned to face each other so their knees were bumping.

"I'm so sorry for what happened Noah. I can't begin to understand the pain you must be in right now. But you have to understand that I'm very ashamed of you for what you did. Finn is your _best friend_." Puck's head dropped in shame at her words.

"I know Rach. I don't know what I was thinking. I don't even remember that night very well. If I could take it back, I would. I never meant for anything like that to happen. Finn's going to hate me when he finds out." Rachel kept her grip on his hands, wanting him to know that she was still there, even though she was mad at him.

"He is going to be hurt, there's no doubt. But _I'm_ not going to say anything to him." When he gave her a surprised look, Rachel just shrugged.

"I thought about it, since it's the right thing to do. But after talking to my dads, I realized that while it might be the truth, it would devastate him. He's already thinking he lost his child, I am not going to be the one to add a betrayal by the two people he should be able to trust to his burden." Puck felt like the slimiest, most vile human being on the face of earth at her words. He couldn't believe he had disappointed her so much.

"I'm sorry Rachel. I can't do anything about it now, but I really am sorry." His voice was quiet, almost too quiet for her to hear him. But she did and Rachel felt her heart unclench. She couldn't stay mad at him, especially for something he had done before they were together, and not when he was in so much pain.

"I know you are Noah, and I'm not mad at you. While your actions do not speak very highly of you, they were done by the old Puck. The boy who took every opportunity to make others' lives miserable, who through slushies in my face every day. But that boy is not here anymore Noah and I'm not going to be mad at you for something you can't change. While I believe the truth will come out eventually, as it always does, it won't be by me.

"I want you to know that I'm here for you Noah. I can't make the hurt disappear, but maybe I can help ease it. You're more than welcome to come to me whenever you need to, I'll always be here for you." Rachel whispered, her eyes shining with tears as she held his hands. Puck couldn't believe he had actually found someone so full of compassion for others that they would actually look over one of his biggest fuckups to support him. He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, not believing he had gotten so lucky.

Rachel ran her hands over the short hairs of his Mohawk, loving the feel of the silky strands moving through her fingers. She never would have thought his hair would be so soft, as it was a contradiction to the reason why he had the haircut (to be _badass_). She wondered where the scar on the back of his head, which caused a small (triangle shape) piece of the hair to be missing. Questions for another time.

"I know you're hurting right not Noah, but you have to know that everything happens for a reason." Puck pulled back with that statement, his doubt evident.

"What's the point of killing an innocent baby girl? What'd she ever do to deserve that?" Rachel's eyes watered once more at his questions, but she pushed past them to stare down into his deep hazel eyes, wanting him to see how serious she was.

"There's no way to fully answer your question Noah. But _He_ doesn't make mistakes, ever. There are millions of reasons why _He_ didn't let her be born. She could have been a still born (Puck's breath caught at the mere thought), or she might have had a fatal, incurable disease. Maybe _He_ did this _now_, to spare you the pain from losing her later own, when you have fallen completely in love with the actual little girl, and not just the thought of her. I know this won't make the pain go away, but you must realize that there's nothing you could have done.

"I did some research while you were asleep, and it's actually very common for teen mothers to…miscarry on their first child. Their bodies have not fully matured yet, and a lot of the times their bodies aren't ready for the changes being pregnant brings. So there was nothing you, Finn, or Quinn could have done to prevent the tragedy." Rachel whispered, hoping he would believe her. When he pulled her closer again, burring his head in her hair, Rachel sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to offer as much comfort as she could.

The two of them sat there for hours, talking quietly in between the long stretches of silence. Puck explained everything that had happened, how Quinn had refused to let him get involved at all, to the surge of pride he had felt when he found out the baby was a girl. Rachel just held him and let him talk, knowing he needed to get everything off his chest if he was going to be able to move past the experience. They only broke apart when Puck's mother called, wondering if he was coming home before she had to go to work. Rachel watched the sad boy drive away from her house, not knowing what more she could do to help him.

/*/

Pulling up in front of the Fabray house, Rachel had to take several calming breaths before she grabbed the container that had her 'get well' assortment of muffins, cookies, and other bakery treats and getting out of the car. _'You can do this Rachel. You might not be Quinn's number one fan, but you have to show your support, even though she hates you. She's going to need all the friends she can get to get through this, and you have to be the bigger person and go to her.'_

Quinn's mother was surprised to see Rachel on her doorstep, but she told her to go on up. She knew Quinn wasn't feeling well, and something had happened last night because she had come back from Finn's in tears, so Judy welcomed anyone who could make Quinn feel better. Rachel quietly made her way up to Quinn's room, still unsure if she should be there or not.

To say Quinn was flabbergasted when she opened her door to see Rachel Berry of all people was an understatement. She just stared at the smaller girl until Rachel was squirming in her shoes, pushing the container into Quinn's hands.

"I just wanted to drop these off. I know you don't like me, but I wanted you to know I was here if you needed someone to talk to." When Quinn continued to stare at her as if she was crazy, Rachel began to back away from the door.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Quinn asked, glancing down at the pastries in her hands.

"Um…Noah came to see me." Rachel said, not wanting to make Quinn angry. When the other girl's eyes widened in shock and she quickly glanced up, Rachel knew that Quinn knew that she knew (that's not confusing). Quinn felt her heart tighten as she motioned for the girl to enter her room before she closed the door.

"He t-told you?" Quinn's voice shook as she set the container down on her desk, not sure if she would be able to keep a good grip on it. Her hands when to her stomach out of reflex of thinking of Puck, and she had to fight down a sob when she remembered that there wasn't anything inside her anymore. Rachel slowly nodded, her eyes tearing up again at the look of pain on Quinn's face. (Rachel couldn't believe how many times she had cried that day!)

"I guess y-you're going to tell F-F-Finn." Quinn asked as her lips began to tremble. Rachel hurried over to the girl, pulling her into a hug.

"No Quinn, I'm not going to breathe a word of it, I swear. It's not any of my business and I couldn't do that to any of you." Quinn burst into tears and clutched at the small girl, her entire body shaking from the force of her crying. Rachel slowly steered them towards the bed, where she was able to pull the weeping girl down. The two girls sat like that for several minutes, Rachel just letting Quinn have her melt down. When the blond finally pulled away, her entire face was red and she had to grab some tissue to wipe her nose.

"S-sorry." Quinn mumbled, not believing she had actually cried on Rachel Berry's shoulder. If that didn't show the state she was in, nothing else would. Rachel was shocked when Quinn began to talk, giving her own version of what happened, from the night with Noah to the loss of her baby. Rachel just stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt the flow of emotion. When Quinn finally finished, having had several more bouts of tears during her explanation, Rachel gripped her cold hands in hers and gave them a squeeze.

"I'm really sorry Quinn, for everything you've been through. No one should have to face everything you have this year, and I think you are amazingly strong for being able to make it through this. I know it might not feel like you're going to survive right now, especially since I know you're feeling ten times what Noah was feeling, but you _will_. You're Quinn Fabray, and nothing in this world will be able to keep you down. The world doesn't stand a chance against you, so I know you'll pull through." Quinn laughed a little at her statement, not believing that the girl she had bullied for years was the one to actually comfort her.

"I never thought it would hurt so badly. I didn't…don't want to be a mother at sixteen, but I can't believe that she's gone. I just found out her sex and then…poof, she's gone." Rachel pulled her into an embrace when Quinn started to cry again, just letting her know that she had someone to rely on. The girls were interrupted when the door opened and Finn walked in, a look of surprise on his face when he saw his girlfriend and the girl he felt _something_ for hugging on her bed.

"Finn! What are you doing here?" Quinn asked as she pulled away. She felt a surge of anger, her heart telling her that that her baby would still be alive if he had only gotten to her house faster. But her mind knew that that was not right, that there was nothing that could have been done. But her mind didn't always win out against her feelings, and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep all the hurt and bitterness from spewing out of her lips. Rachel stood to leave, but the pleading look Quinn shot her kept her from moving out the door.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Finn's voice was hoarse, much like Puck's had been. Rachel looked harder at the tall boy and saw the same weariness and exhaustion that had clung to Noah and she gave Quinn a look, clearly telling the girl to be nice. Quinn pushed her irrational anger away and flung herself into her boyfriend's arms, sobbing quietly against his chest. Finn gripped her tightly, his eyes squeezed tightly to hold off his own tears. Rachel pulled on Finn's arm until he opened his eyes, looking down at her, clearly not understanding what she wanted. Rachel tugged until he started moving towards the bed, where Quinn curled into his lap as she continued to clutch at him.

Rachel moved away from the bed, grabbing her coat from the desk chair. She moved towards the door when Quinn's arm shot out, stopping her movement. Looking back at the girl, Rachel was surprised when Quinn pulled hard, causing Rachel to stumble into the bed and the couple. She wasn't sure what Quinn wanted, but when she felt Finn's arm wrap around her and hold her close to the blonde, Rachel relaxed and hugged the girl. The three of them sat there for a good forty minutes, just taking reassurance from the others' arms. During the entire time, Rachel could only think about Noah and how he was stuck at home watching his sister, alone with his own pain.

When they finally separated, Finn left because he couldn't deal with all the emotion anymore. He felt bad, but he just couldn't face it anymore that day. He went home, where he spent the rest of his day playing video games and ignoring the pain in his chest. When he was gone, Rachel was going to leave when Quinn asked how Puck was doing. After some convincing, Rachel got Quinn to accompany her over to Puck's house.

The boy was surprised to see them, and even more shocked when they ended up repeating their group cry. He couldn't believe he had both Rachel and Quinn wrapped in his arms, and if he wasn't filled with so much hurt and loss, he might have been able to appreciate the moment on a different scale. After they had all had a good cry (shut up, he was still badass), the three of them watched movies with Eli and ate pizza, all of them trying to move past the chocking lump in their throats. By the time the girls left, Puck was stunned that he actually did feel better, as if the loss wasn't as crimpling as it had been. Hopefully the pain would continue to ease, especially now that he had both Quinn and Rachel willing to let him actually feel the emotions and were there for him to talk to.

**AN: SO SAD! I know! But I had to do it! And sorry this chapter is shorter, but I kept crying so I didn't want to write about this anymore. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I know the last chapter was really sad, but we're going to be moving on. It'll be kinda slow in the beginning, but things will get better, I promise! And I forgot to respond to reviews for chapter four, so those responses (as well as for chapter five) are below:**

Chapter 4:

Mikachu: Thanks for the review! I know Rachel's behavior was a _little_ extreme ( ) but I figured for a 100 pound girl, five hash cupcakes would mess her up. Lol it was really funny to write. And I loved putting Quinn and Schue in their place! Damn people get on my nerves sometimes! Lol

Shay: Thanks for the review girlie! And thanks for recommending me to your sis! That's awesome! Lol I love gentleman Puck (Noah). I don't know how much longer I can keep the two of them from ripping their clothes off, but we'll see how it goes. Although, why I would want to keep them clothed is a mystery.

aussiegleek18: Thanks! I'm glad you like the direction I'm going!

Lucy: I'm really glad you're enjoying it!

Chapter 5:

Ithrow: Glad you like it so far! Keep reviewing!

Shay: Thanks for another review! You make my day! And yes, this chapter will be longer! I just couldn't write anymore for chapter 5, it was too sad. Having personal experience with such a tragedy made it very difficult to write. But I'm glad you liked the chapter. I was afraid it would be too sad. Hope you like this next chapter! I look forward to reading what you have to say about it!

**So I forgot on key thing that happened: Quinn was kicked off the Cheerios in "Mash-Up" on the show. I forgot about this, so for my story, she is still on the squad.**

**Okay, so here's the next chapter! And please remember, if you have any questions or recommendations, please feel free to leave them in a review or PM me and I will definitely respond! Hope you guys like it! And REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Glee or the songs chosen for this chapter. **

Chapter 6: A Week of Change

After Temple on Sunday, Rachel found herself once more in the Puckerman home. She had brought her portable keyboard with her, hoping to work with Puck on his singing. She knew it was probably the last thing he wanted to do, but Rachel didn't know what else she could do to try and ease the painful thoughts from his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel rang the doorbell, hoping that he was actually home, since she hadn't warned him she was coming. But after the heartbroken expression on his face during Temple, Rachel didn't think he would have gone out, at least not that early in the afternoon. When Leah opened to the door, Rachel was met with a relieved smile.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Puckerman. I was hoping Noah was here."

"How many times have I told you to call me Leah? And he's upstairs. You can go on up dear." Rachel smiled at the older woman before making her way up the rickety stairs, trying to keep the bagged keyboard from hitting the walls. She paused on the climb up, smiling to herself when she saw the family pictures decorating the stairwell. _Noah was such a cute little boy. Better keep that to yourself thought, you know how he feels about being called 'cute'_.

Knocking on his closed door, Rachel waited until she heard the signal to enter. She wasn't very surprised to see that his room was not in the best of conditions, as there were clothes strewn around the room, as well as some dirty dishes teetering on the available surfaces. Puck looked up, expecting his mother had come back upstairs to tell him to clean his room. He was surprised to find Rachel standing just inside his doorway, an uncertain look on her face.

"Hey babe. What are you doing here?" Puck asked as he paused the game and took his headset off.

"Well, I didn't know if maybe you wanted to work on your singing. I really think you could get the high B if you wanted to try. If not, I can go. I know I didn't tell you I was coming over, but I didn't know if you'd want to be alone. Although, I guess I should have called, because being alone might just be what you want. I'm going to go." Puck quickly moved over to the rambling girl, pulling her into the room fully and closing the door behind him. Rachel looked up at him in uncertainty, so he wrapped her in his arms, which was a little uncomfortable since she still had the keyboard slung over her shoulder.

"Thanks for coming over." The words were spoken in a whisper against her ear, causing Rachel to relax into his arms before she hugged him back. Puck would never admit aloud if he was in pain (at least not outside of her bedroom) so Rachel knew he meant the words.

"You're welcome Noah. I just want you to know that I'm here for you, no matter what." Puck squeezed her a little tighter before releasing her. He gave her a small, sad smile before he went back over to his bed, where his game controller and headset sat. Picking up the headpiece, Rachel heard him mumble into it before he shut the game down.

"So what'd you have in mind?" Puck asked as he set the two items back on top of his Xbox. When he turned back to look at her, Rachel was already unzipping the case and pulling the keyboard out. He felt the smallest bit of guilt at the mess in his room, as Rachel was kneeling next to his bed, which he knew had a couple of dirty clothes next to it. But he shrugged the feeling off, because seriously, he was a dude and a badass, which does _not_ equal clean freak.

"I've brought a couple of options, all of which have the elusive high B. So you can pick whichever you like, and I'll play the music. Can I use this chair?" Rachel asked, pulling the desk chair out with a questioning look. When he nodded, Rachel rolled it over to the keyboard, which luckily had extendable legs, so she wouldn't have to try and play while sitting on the floor or the bed.

_Don't even think about Noah's bed! Don't think about him in the bed…naked…Rachel! _Puck was a little confused as to why she suddenly started blushing, but he figured being alone in his room with him (a total stud) was making her flustered. Rachel seemed to get control of herself (too fast for his liking) and she passed him the folder and slid behind the keyboard, her copies of the sheet music in her own folder.

/*/

"Shh Eli, they'll hear you." Leah whispered to her daughter, her ear placed firmly against the solid wood door leading into her son's room. It's not that she didn't trust Rachel and Noah to be in the same room without getting naked, but she was having a hard time thinking they were actually _working_. She loved her son, despite the many times he got into trouble, but she wasn't naive enough to think he was innocent (in anything). So she was spying (it was a mother's job), trying to figure out just what was going on in the room.

When the two actually heard the silky voice of Noah Puckerman begin singing, and then the quieter comments from his girlfriend, they were both shocked. Eli seemed to find the entire incident hysterical, and despite Leah's orders, the girl could not stop laughing. She just couldn't believe that her brother was actually being a…well a gentleman when he had a girl in his room. Eli had walked in on him and other girls too many times to have ever thought he was capable of such behavior.

"We can hear you, you know!" Puck yelled at the door, causing Eli to start laughing again. Leah had to bit her lip to keep from laughing with her daughter, especially at the irritated tone of his voice. Noah was too easy to get worked up sometimes. She decided they were not going to get into any trouble for the time being and pulled Eli into her room, needing to get ready for work anyways.

/*/

The rest of the night had been just as slow, with Rachel and Puck working on a few songs at a time before they quit to cuddle. While there was no hot, heavy kissing, Rachel found that she loved being wrapped in his arms, his fingers playing with her hair. The mood was somber, yet loving, and Rachel just wanted to spend as long as she could in his arms.

Unfortunately, Sunday was family dinner night at the Berry's and Rachel had to go, leaving Puck to babysit his sister by himself. And after two hours of nonstop questioning from the ten year old, Puck was ready for bed. Without Rachel there, all he could seem to think about was Quinn and the lost baby, which put him in a foul mood. After tucking Eli into bed, Puck locked himself back into his room, grabbing his guitar.

As he strummed, Puck felt all the pain and hurt and bitterness pouring out of his fingers and into the guitar, the resulting melody so filled with longing and sadness that Puck had to quit after a few minutes. Deciding he really didn't want to think about it anymore, he grabbed his game controller again and spent the rest of the night trying to kill as many enemies as possible. It wasn't fight club, or Rachel's embrace, but Puck felt a little better when he finally crawled into bed.

/*/

(Monday of "Ballads" Week)

The lunch table was unusually quiet that day, with Rachel and Puck lost in their own world. Santana and Brittany didn't know what was the issue, but they kept their voices down as they talked to the boys (Mike and Matt), trying to not to intrude. Usually, Santana would be the first to call them out, but the drawn expressions on their faces made her pause. While she hadn't known (or liked) Berry for very long, she had been familiar with Puck for years, so she could tell that something was wrong.

She was shocked out of her thoughts of what could possibly have caused the 'Puckasaurus" to be so indrawn, when Quinn and Finn silently sat down in front of the two. Santana waited, expecting the two girls to get into a fight, but they simply shared a look before turning their eyes back down to their untouched food. _Something is fucking wrong when those two don't start fighting. Hell must be freezing over!_

Rachel simply ignored the questioning looks Santana kept sending her, instead leaning her head on Puck's shoulder and squeezing the hand clasped in hers under the table. She tried not to look at Finn, knowing that she wasn't always able to keep her mouth from spewing word vomit. While she thought it was wrong for Puck and Quinn to keep lying to the boy, she knew that the truth would just hurt him even more. And Rachel did not want to see her friend hurt any more than he already was, so she kept her mouth glued closed and her eyes turned away from him so she wouldn't be tempted to tell. She smiled a little when he laid his head on hers, his eyes unfocused as he thought about how much that weekend had changed his life.

Puck was torn between being relieved about not having to be a dad so young, and the crimpling pain of knowing he would never know his little girl. When he did refocus, he could see the same struggle playing out in both Quinn and Finn.

Finn didn't know why Puck looked so sad, since he wasn't the one who had lost a baby, but he guessed he was hurting because his best friend was. _He's a true friend when he can share my pain. I'm so glad I have such awesome friends, even when I'm still angry about him dating Rachel. He's my best friend, but I think she could do way better than Puckerman. How does she go from liking me to being with him? I'm so confused._

Quinn kept her eyes on her plate, her hands hidden under the table as they kept pressing against her empty stomach, still unable to fully believe it was really all over. She had been having night terrors about being a mother, about getting fat, of losing everything. Yet, she felt hollow, as if a central piece of her being had been torn away. Quinn hadn't thought she had really developed any feelings for the baby, but after finding out the sex, there seemed to be a closer connection than there had been. She guessed that losing her, right when she started _wanting_ her, was both Quinn's and Puck's punishment for betraying Finn.

_Or maybe Berry's right and He does have a purpose. He's not a cruel God, so it wouldn't make sense for him to punish us further. I just wished there was a way for me to __**know**__ so I could move past this. _Quinn kept her thoughts to herself, not knowing what she really believed. She couldn't decide if losing the baby was a blessing or a penance, so she just kept her lips sealed.

/*/

Will Schuester stared after the crying Cheerio, not understanding what had upset Quinn to such a degree. Usually Rachel was the only one to rush out of a practice, and since the brunette wasn't there anymore, Mr. Schue was shocked. When Finn rushed after her, he figured it had something to do with the baby and tried not to get irritated at the couple for not keeping their personal lives to themselves.

Deciding to push a head, Mr. Schue handed out the pieces of paper for them to write their names on. After the partners had been assigned for the remaining eight students (Matt was out sick), he explained what a ballad was and gave them an example. He felt discourage at their lack luster reception of his lesson, but if they wanted to win at Sectionals, they had to have a ballad. Hopefully Quinn and Finn would pull through whatever their current issue was and be able to do a duet.

Will was about to pack up his sheet music when he saw Puck hanging behind, waiting for the room to empty. He was shocked when the troublemaker quietly explained about Quinn's miscarriage and suggested the couple be excused from the assignment. Although Will thought it would be a good idea to get their emotions off their chests through song, he agreed, knowing everyone grieved in their own way. He couldn't even imagine the pain they must be in; he was just thankful that Terri's pregnancy seemed to be progressing nicely with no issues.

/*/

Rachel groaned as she fell onto her bed, her entire body aching. She was beginning to hate Mondays, as she had dance class before World History, and then after Cheerios practice; this meant that her body was on fire from the constant exercising.

While she prided herself on being in amazing shape, and working hard to keep such a figure, Rachel had to admit she was not prepared for the rigors of cheerleading training, and then dance. If her body didn't build up the proper endurance soon, Rachel wasn't sure how she was going to keep up her schedule. She might have to stop going to the second dance class, as it was something she paid for and not an actual school course, like her first one was.

Lifting her head when her phone beeped, signaling a text message, Rachel slowly rolled over until she could reach her bag on the floor. She pulled the sparkling phone out of its pocket, sighing happily when she saw Puck's name on the screen. She felt bad about not being able to hang out with him after school, but she had missed dance class on Saturday and needed to make up for it. Flipping open the phone, Rachel rolled her eyes at the message before responding.

_*R u bck fm dance yet? Fight club was cancelled, so I don't have any/g to do. So…w/ r u wearing?*_

_*Yes I am back from dance Noah. I'm sorry you couldn't go to your club, even though I find it very barbaric and a waste of your time. And I am not telling you what I am wearing you pervert. And would it kill you to type actual sentences, with fully spelled words?*_

_*I luv when u tlk dirty babe.*_

_*You are incorrigible!*_

_*Thks babe. So w/ r u wearing?*_

Rachel rolled her eyes at his texts, knowing that he wasn't willing to say he actually missed her and simply wanted to talk to her. Everything had to be about sex, or else he wouldn't be the 'stud' he claimed to be.

_*You're impossible Noah. I'm going to get in the shower now, as Cheerios and dance has made me very sweaty.*_

_*Oh you TEASE! That's not fair!*_

_*Haha, but it made you type complete words. Have fun Noah, I'm going to go scrub down.* _Rachel bit her lip, knowing she was playing with fire. But she couldn't seem to stop herself. The last few days had been an emotional rollercoaster, and she welcomed the little glimpse of the old Puck, even if only for a few moments. She had missed the teasing and bantering, and Rachel really hoped that they would be able to both move past this past weekend.

_*U're evil woman! Do u know how hard I am now, think/g bout u naked and wet?*_

_*Sorry baby, but I guess you'll just have to 'handle' that yourself. I do apologize, I did not mean to let our conversation get you so…worked up. Good night Noah.*_

_*U really r evil!*_

_*Haha*_

_*Gd night Rach*_

_*Good night Noah*_

/*/

(Tuesday)

"I found you a ballad that I think expresses how you're feeling." Rachel said as she walked into the choir room, Puck sitting in a chair while he waited for her.He really didn't want to do this week's assignment, but the pleased look on her face made him hold his tongue. While he was nowhere near fully recovered, having Rachel around to ease the hurt was doing wonders. Shut up, he was still totally badass! He was just having a…set back.

"Sure babe, what'd you have in mind?" Puck got up to walk over to her as she pulled out the iPod docking station from her bag. How she managed to carry around all her school books and that, he wasn't sure. It was like the Marry Poppins of back packs.

"I know it's not usually your style, but I think the lyrics really touch on what you've been going through." Rachel said as she handed him the sheet music. Puck glanced down at the song title, groaning a little. Rachel just rolled her eyes at him and motioned for him to get into the standard position next to the piano before she hit the play button. As the music started to fill the room, the two missed the appearance of Mr. Schuester, Kurt, and Mercedes (who had wanted to run a ballad by him).

(**Puck, **_Both__**, **_Rachel_)_

"**I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house  
That don't bother me  
I can take a few tears now and then  
And just let 'em out  
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while  
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me  
There are days every now and again  
I pretend I'm ok, but that's not what gets me**

_What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And havin' so much to say  
And watchin' you walk away  
And never knowin'  
What could've been  
And not seein' that lovin' you  
Is what I was trying to do_

**It's hard to deal with the pain of losin' you every where I go  
But I'm doin' it  
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone  
Still harder  
Gettin' up, gettin' dressed, livin' with this regret, but I know  
If I could do it over  
I would trade, give away, show the words that I saved in my heart that I left unspoken  
**  
_What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And havin' so much to say  
And watchin' you walk away  
And never knowin'  
What could've been  
And not seein' that lovin' you  
Is what I was tryin' to do_

Uhh hey yeaaaaaaaaah!

_What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And havin' so much to say  
And watchin' you walk away  
And never knowin'  
What could've been  
And not seein' that lovin' you  
Is what I was tryin' to do_

**Not seeing that loving you  
That's what I was trying to do**

Ohh ohh!"

The two trailed off as the music ended, their voices fading from the choir room as they stared at each other. During the song, instead of walking around the piano (so annoying), they had simply gotten closer and closer, until Rachel's hands were splayed across Puck's chest and his were resting on her hips.

Puck felt so unbadass when he felt the sting of tears, but he would not allow those to fall. It was one thing when he was in the privacy of Rachel's bedroom, but he was not going to break down like a girl in the middle of the choir room. So way! Even though his heart still felt bruised (he would never say that aloud, like **ever**), he couldn't let his emotions get the best of him. He was Puckzilla and he would act like it.

Rachel gave him a small smile before she pulled his head down to hers, sealing their lips in a kiss. While the last few days had been comforting, this kiss had some heat to it. She wanted to get them past the pain, and with the previous night's texts in mind, Rachel wanted to show Puck that they still had chemistry. They had heat. She grinned against his lips when she felt his grip tighten on her hips before he pulled her flush against him, letting her know how much he appreciated her help and attention.

Pulling away, Puck rested his forehead against hers for a moment before lightly kissing her nose. Rachel giggled at the kiss, not really expecting such a…endearing action. The two separated as Rachel gathered up her stuff and Puck slung his letterman jacket and bag over his shoulders. Grabbing her small hand in his, Puck brought it up to his lips and kissed it as they walked out the door, headed to third period.

Moving into the choir room from Mr. Schue's "Glee" office, the three observers watched as the couple departed. They had never expected to see such a different side to the "badass" of McKinley.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Noah Puckerman could portray anything other than anger and contempt." Mr. Schue mumbled, more to himself than the two students.

"I'm usually the last one on the Rachel Berry train, but they sounded _amazing_ together. I really think we need to try and get her back in the club. I mean, Sectionals is in a few weeks and I don't see how we're going to win without her." Mercedes said, not believing the words were coming from her mouth. She didn't hate Rachel, but she didn't exactly like her either. Especially since the smaller girl was always getting solos or throwing tantrums, which did not endear her to the others.

"I think you're right Mercedes. Even if she doesn't get a solo for the ballad, her voice in background would already give us an edge. And it would certainly solve our problem with the duet. I love Quinn and all, but her voice is nowhere near as strong as Rachel's." Kurt said, frowning at the truth in his words.

"Rachel's made it clear to me that she doesn't want to be a part of the club. She doesn't feel welcome in here, especially not with everyone always making it clear that she's not wanted." Mr. Schue said, rubbing at his temples to stave off a headache. The issues with Glee had been causing him no shortage of problems inside and outside of school.

"Maybe we can get Puck to convince her to rejoin. I mean, she's dating him and all. And she's friends with Santana and Brittany now too. So maybe they can band together and talk her into rejoining. I hate to admit that we need her this bad, but I _really_ want to win." Mercedes said, trying to come up with a plan to get the diva back into the group. She would even be nicer to the girl if it meant she would come back.

"Well, you guys are free to try. I'm going to focus on getting a set list prepared." Mr. Schuester said, leaving the two to talk amongst themselves. They completely forgot about the reason they had wished to speak with him in the first place, too overwhelmed with trying to develop a plan.

/*/

"You're off the Cheerios." Quinn reeled back as if the woman had hit her, not believing Sue would actually kick her off the squad; and in the hallway in front of people.

"Please Coach, please don't kick me off." Quinn hated that her voice shook, but she couldn't even imagine loosing something else.

"Sorry Q, but I can't have a pregnant girl on my squad. It's bad for the image." Sue went to push past the stunned girl, but she was surprised when she felt the firm hand grab onto her arm.

"Please Ms. Sylvester, I can't lose cheerleading too. I've already lost everything else!"

"How do you expect to do a double back hand spring with your stomach getting in the way? I want your uniforms on my desk by the end of the day."

"But I'm not pregnant anymore!" Quinn's voice was shrill and loud, drawing the attention of everyone around her. She hated that tears wear beginning to stream down her face, but Ms. Sylvester could not take cheerleading away. She just couldn't! Sue turned back to look at her, a momentary look of sympathy flashing across her face before it was gone.

"Finally took care of the problem did you?" Quinn shook her head violently, her hands wrapped around herself as if she could keep herself from falling apart.

"N-no Coach. I…I l-lost her." Her voice cracked as the tears surged faster, the feeling of loss surging back to the forefront. Sue seemed to be battling with herself, as she did in fact like Quinn Fabray. Instead of answering, Sue simply turned around and marched off, not sure whether she had actually kicked Quinn off the squad or not. Hating the feeling of confusion, Sue headed towards the William's office, wanting to get some digs in to make her feel better.

Quinn just watched her, not sure what had just happened. She didn't know if Sue's silence meant she was off the squad, or if she wasn't. Deciding to just keep her uniform on until Sue said something else, Quinn quickly moved to a wash room, needing to redo her makeup and get control of herself. She ignored the stares and whispers, knowing that the school would know about her miscarriage before the end of third period; but Quinn didn't really care anymore. There was nothing she could do about it, and she just needed to focus on getting past the stabbing pain in her heart so that she could move on with her life.

/*/

"So how was your day Brittany?" Rachel asked as she pulled out her chemistry notes, setting them on Brittany's bed before climbing up next to the girl. Santana had a 'date' with Matt, leaving the two girls alone for the after practice hangout.

"You know, the same. Lots of stuff I don't understand and then making Quinn feel better when the news broke about her miscarriage. Did you know about that before we did? San and I weren't sure why Fuinn was sitting at the table today." Brittany said as she fluttered around the room, seeming to have too much energy to sit down.

"I'm sure given a little help, you'll be doing great in your classes. Teachers, though trained, do not always know the best way to present information in a way for students to understand." Rachel said, trying to avoid talking about 'Fuinn', as she didn't think it was her place. There was enough gossip spread around about her that she didn't want to be the one spreading more rumors.

"Hmm…so did you know?" Brittany asked, turning to stare at Rachel. The smaller girl squirmed on the bed, not used to being the focus of Brittany's blue, laser like gaze. The girl was usually so unfocused to the world around her that Rachel wasn't prepared for the power and magnetism of her stare.

"Um…I might have found out about it this weekend. But I didn't expect the entire school to find out so quickly. Although, I should have known better since a secret is impossible to keep secret in our school. I would swear that the walls are bugged, because how some people find out about certain things is beyond me." Brittany gave her a mischievous smile before sitting down next to her.

"You mean like the sad, yet romantic duet you sang with Puck today? Or that the two of you were seen doing some heavy petting in the parking lot after practice?" Rachel's face reddened before she stuffed her nose in her notebook, refusing to acknowledge the validity of Brittany's questions.

"So anyways, I figured we'd work on our chemistry homework. The subject isn't actually that hard, unlike what everyone would have you believe. It is very similar to math, plugging in different variables to get an end result." Rachel said, pointing out such an equation. Brittany merely hummed in response, knowing she needed to get to the point before she forgot. Reaching slowly behind her pillow, Brittany got Rachel to explain something about phosphates or something as she clicked the record button on the machine hidden by her pillow.

"So Ray, I was wondering if you ever wanted to come back to Glee? We really miss you and the club is boring when you're not there." Brittany said, trying to get the questions out before she forgot. The other Glee kids had talked her into getting answers out of her, since she was Rachel's only 'close' friend that wasn't Puck. Rachel looked up from her notes, giving Brittany a confused look at the change in conversation.

"I would love to go back Brit. I love Glee and performing and being a part of something great. But I'm tired of always being torn down for being good. It's not my fault that I have more talent than some of the other members, and I hate being ripped apart for wanting solos when I know I'm the only one that can do them justice. And, ok, so that's very selfish and arrogant of me, but I've been training my _entire_ life for Broadway. Others have only ever sung in their showers or some other trivial place; while I've had years of training for both vocals and dance. Is it fair for others to demand I slink to the back just so they can get a solo, when I've had more training then everyone in the club combined?"

"No, I guess not. People don't really give you a chance. Like, I never knew you were so nice and willing to help others because it always seemed like you just wanted the spotlight." Brittany said, shrugging her shoulders to show Rachel she didn't really understand.

"I do want the spotlight. It's like…I need applause to _live_. But people don't realize that I would step back from a solo, if the person replacing me was as dedicated and as well trained. Why would you want a lackluster performance when you could have an amazing one? Most of the members would be able to pull off such a performance if they would only practice more; but it seems like no one wants to spend extra time outside of Glee to perfect their craft."

"So if everyone promised to work harder, you would come back?" Brittany's voice showed her excitement as she thought she finally convinced Rachel to rejoin. Her excitement was quickly replaced with sadness, however, when Rachel responded.

"No Brit, I'm sorry. While you and Santana seem to want to be my friends, and I'm still confused as to Santana's reasoning, the others have shown no sign of wanting me to return. I know you guys _need_ me, but that's not enough for me. Like I told Mr. Schue, I want to be _wanted_, to be considered a friend. I'm tired of always having to deflect insults or backhanded compliments. I'm sure everyone thinks their hurtful words just roll right off me, since I've always been picked on, but to be honest, their words still hurt. I'm a human, just like they are, and when they say mean things meant to hurt me, they succeed. I would never tell them that being called manhands hurt my feelings, but it does." Rachel trailed off, her shoulders slumping as she thought about all the bullying she had put up with when she was a part of the club.

"But we don't think that about you anymore! And even if some, like Kurt and Mercedes, don't really like you, we all respect your talent! And they're just jealous because they can't hit the notes you can Ray. I'm sure the two of them would be willing to be nice to you if you came back."

"Maybe, maybe not. Tell you what Brit, I'll think about it, as long as you promise to let me help you with the chemistry homework. I know you can get it, you just need a little help to get started." Brit nodded quickly, overjoyed that she had gotten Rachel to consider coming back. _Everyone is going to be so happy! Yay me!_

The two spent the next hour going over the chemistry notes, Brittany taking a minute to turn the recorder off while Rachel was distracted. By the end of their study time, Brittany was amazed to realize that she had in fact completed her chemistry homework. _I guess there really is a first time for everything_. Rachel left soon after that, needing to get her other homework done before going to bed. Once the girl was gone, Brittany pulled the recorder out from behind her pillow and placed it in her school bag, knowing the gleeks would want to hear it the next day.

/*/

(Wednesday)

Rachel was just about to climb into her vehicle to head to school when Puck's truck pulled into her driveway. Surprised by both his appearance and the fact that he was actually awake so early, Rachel stepped back from her car and waited for him to stop before she approached. Puck jumped out of the cab, a smirk firmly in place. Even though it was a very chilly day, he had to love Sue Sylvester's demand the girls wear skirts year round, as Rachel's legs looked fantastic, especially since she no longer wore knee socks (what? He was a dude and noticed these things. It was not a pussy thing).

"Good morning Noah. Why are you here? Not that I'm not pleased to see you, because I'm absolutely delighted. But I didn't think you made a habit of rising so early in the morning." Rachel asked as he sauntered the few feet separating them. Puck didn't answer her, instead he pulled her flush against him and devoured her mouth. Rachel could only moan and wrap her arms around his shoulders, every coherent thought evaporating from her mind.

Puck slowly pulled away, relishing the sound of loss the came from Rachel's throat. He rested his forehead against hers, staring into her glazed eyes before stepping back.

"I thought I'd drive you to school today. Save some gas, and I know how concerned you are about the planet and the ozone layer or something." Rachel just continued to stare at him, a little pleased smile curling her lips, causing Puck to rub at the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"That is so thoughtful Noah! Although I think we should take my car, as it is eco-friendly. It is a little small, but I'm sure we could push the seat back and your legs would have plenty of room." Rachel said, pointing to the light pink vehicle. Puck had to keep from cringing at the thought of rolling into school in a pink, girl sized car.

"Actually, I think my truck will do perfectly. Since it's so early, I thought we could…spend some quality time together." He smirked fully when the blush spread across Rachel's face and her eyes glazed over again. She simply nodded, obviously lost in thought about what they could get up to. She grabbed her bag from her passenger seat and followed him over to his truck, where he thankfully helped her into the high vehicle.

The entire drive to school (it was only like 10 minutes) was filled with an electricity that Rachel had never felt before. It was like she was buzzing with anticipation, her entire body alive with knowledge and longing for what Puck had been suggesting. She had to keep herself from staring at him, or lunging across the cab; instead she kept her gaze glued to the window, not seeing anything that passed by. Puck just kept smirking to himself, loving the affect a mere suggestive comment could have on her.

When they (finally!) pulled into the school parking lot, which was almost deserted since it was a good 45 minutes before school started, Rachel was almost vibrating with pent up energy. Puck parked the truck, making sure to throw on the emergency break, since he was keeping the car running for the heat. He didn't want things to get too out of control that they accidently hit the gear shift (hey, it happens).

Almost as soon as he had pulled the lever for the break, Rachel was unbuckled and across the seat, her body pressed fully against his side. She didn't really know why she was so…hot, but she needed him to touch her (like immediately). Puck turned to her, his mouth finding hers as if magnetically drawn to the lush mouth, and he pushed against her until she scooted back a little, so he had enough room between the door so that he could pull her over his lap. He groaned into the kiss when as she straddled him, her hot core pressing down on him in the best way.

Rachel was completely consumed with flames as she attacked his mouth, overcome with want for him. She had always been attracted to Noah, as their past illustrated, but she had never been this _turned on_. Not with any of their previous encounters, even when they left her light headed and almost forgetting her name. This was…her skin felt like it was on fire and the only thing able to cool her was Puck's touch. She grinded against him, relishing in the moan it elicited, as well as the firm bulge under her, letting her know that her actions were definitely appreciated.

Puck had to pull away as his lungs screamed for air, taking in huge gulps of oxygen as he watched the firecracker grind herself into his lap. He didn't know what had gotten into Rachel Berry, but he was not going to stop her. No way in hell was he going to stop something this hot.

"We really need to work on your breath control." Rachel said, not even winded as she tugged at his over shirt. Puck was torn between marveling at her and being insulted at the jab to his breathing skills. He had mad skills in _everything_. It wasn't his fault that she just had the lung capacity of five people. He allowed her to remove the over shirt, which she flung to the side, not even caring where it landed as she took in the sight of him in his wifebeater.

"Oh…you should _never_ wear long sleeves." Puck was about to smirk and flex his (very impressive and badass) guns when she reattached herself to his lips, her tongue surging into his mouth to continue their earlier battle. Her hands seemed to be stuck in a never ending pattern of running up and down his biceps, pausing ever few seconds to squeeze the muscles, than moving to his shoulders, where she lightly scratched at the exposed skin. Puck was a little embarrassed to realize the if they didn't good down soon, he would make a fool of himself. And badasses did not erupt early from some light petting and grinding. No way was Puck (the stud!) going to let that happen.

But getting her to stop kissing him (which he really didn't want to happen) was an impossible task. He really should have known better, since when Rachel Berry set her mind to something, she committed 100% until she got the desired results. He just wasn't sure exactly what she was attempting to accomplish, because if it was for him to jizz in his pants, she was doing a great job.

Rachel pulled back, having used up her impressive reserves of air in her game of tonsil hockey. Her eyes closed as she continued to move her hips against his, the friction divine against her wet center. She couldn't stand the clothes that separated them, so Rachel tugged on his tank top until that too was laying somewhere in the truck. Puck did smirk when Rachel just stared at his tan chest for a few seconds.

"Scratch wearing a tank top, you should just shirtless. Like, everywhere." Rachel's voice was husky, which caused his cock to jump in his jeans, especially when she lightly tugged on his nipple ring. She looked so damn sexy that Puck couldn't resist tugging her hair out of the pony tail so he could run his hands through it. Rachel closed her eyes at the feeling of his fingers in her hair before they popped back open, her chocolate gaze blazing. She pushed his hands away before stripping out of her Cheerios jacket, slightly surprised she had actually still had it on.

Rachel let out a surprised squeal when Puck pushed her to the side and down onto the cab seat, moving his body over hers. While it was not the most comfortable of positions, as the cab was not that wide, she moaned when his erection rubbed against her again, causing sparks to shoot through her. Puck smiled down at her, bringing her right leg up to wrap around his hip as he lowered his head to once more devour her mouth. Rachel couldn't keep her hands off his bare skin, running up and down his back, delighting in the way his muscles would twitch under her hands. And when he lowered his head to her neck and nipped a particularly sensitive spot, as well as thrusting his hips against hers, Rachel's nails left a streak of fire down his back. Puck just thrust harder, the pain merely enhancing the pleasure.

The two were interrupted (damn it) when the passenger door was ripped open, showing the amused face of one Santana Lopez, who stood in front of a shocked Mike, Matt, and Brittany. Puck raised his head, glaring at his ex for the interruption, which seemed to not have registered in Rachel's clouded brain as she continued to suck and nip on his neck.

"I hate to cut this love fest short, but that creepy Israel guy has been peeping into your window for like ten minutes now. Thought you'd want to know." Santana said, her voice betraying the fact that she did not mind interrupting them. She smirked at Puck before walking away, leaving the door open for the entire parking lot to be able and see the shirtless Puck laying on top of a flushed and rumpled Rachel Berry. Puck glared at some of the observers and leaned over and slammed the door shut. Rachel had stopped her attentions, much to his dismay.

"I guess we better get going. Class will start in a few minutes." Puck was shocked at her statement, having expected her to flip out about being discovered. He knew that she didn't have a lot of experience, so he thought she would be embarrassed. But she just smirked at him as she pulled her hair back up into a pony tail before hoping out of the cab to straighten her uniform. Puck grabbed his beater and slipped it on before the over shirt. He grabbed his letterman's jacket and jumped out, grabbing their bags from the truck bed before walking over to her side, where she was waiting for him.

Rachel grinned up at him, shocked at her own behavior, but not really being able to care. It was as if being with Noah had completely removed her 'appropriate behavior' filter. If they two of them liked each other, then why should they have to censor themselves, especially when they were alone (or mostly alone)? She was finding that the more time she spent with him, the less she cared about what people said about her. The Glee members' opinions and words still hurt because they had been a team, but she was slowly moving past caring. The whole lot of them (mainly Kurt and Mercedes) were just jealous of her: for her talent, and her smoking hot, lickable boyfriend. _Oh, lickable. I would love…Berry get a hold of yourself! You do still have to go to class; you know, the place where they teach and you learn?_

Shaking off her tempting thoughts, Rachel grinned at him again, especially when he linked their hands together before walking (more like swaggering) into the school. Neither of them had replaced their jackets, as they were plenty hot after their session, so they had them placed over their other arms.

The two ignored the stares and the whispers as they walked down the hall, stopping first at his locker and then hers, and making their way to Algebra II. Rachel gave him a look, which clearly showed her surprise at him accompanying her into the class, which he hadn't been in since the semester started. Puck just shrugged and sat down next to her, laying his hand on her smooth thigh while she got out her notebook.

Rachel found it extremely hard to concentrate that day, as Puck would skim his fingers up and down her thigh, each stroke getting closer and closer to the hemline of her skirt. Her breathing began to pick up, and her hand griped the table in front of her until her knuckles turned white. Puck just smirked down at his paper, which he was surprised actually had notes on it. So he had come to class just to mess with Rach, but apparently she was actually rubbing off on him. _I'd like her to rub something else off on me._

When the bell rang, the students watched in amazement as Rachel Berry literally drug Noah Puckerman out of the room. He gave them a lecherous smirk, which many found was justified when they saw the two attacking each other in the hallway outside of Rachel's next class.

"Seriously, can't the two of you like separate for five minutes?" Santana asked as she approached, Brittany's pinky in hers. When the two did separate, Berry's face was flushed with excitement and embarrassment, since she wasn't in the privacy of his truck.

"Hey guys." Rachel said, lightly pushing against Puck's hard chest so she could look around him. He pouted for a minute, which he thought was about to work when Santana jerked the poor girl from between him and the wall.

"Move along Puckerman. We wouldn't want you to be late for class, now would we?" Santana asked. Rachel's eyes got wide at the thought of her uncontrollable libido being the cause of him missing more class time.

"Oh, she's right Noah. You've already missed so much class lately, that if you even hope to pass this semester, you really shouldn't miss anymore. I would hate if I caused you to get a bad grade, or _fail_. Hurry up, you only have a couple of minutes to make it on time." Rachel's voice had gone high with anxiety, which made Santana smirk at Puck and him to scowl at her. There was no way he could skip English now.

_Fucking Santana had to open her damn mouth_. He gave a suffering sigh before he kissed her and started walking in the opposite direction, not believing he had been cockblocked by Santana. _Fucking bitch._

"You two seriously can't keep your hands off each other. I mean, I've been on the receiving end of those hands, but damn girl." Santana said, dragging the brunette into the classroom. The three girls sat down at one of the back tables, which completely unnoticed by Rachel, who kept remembering the feel of his muscled chest against her hands. _Mmm, yummy._

"Ray? Rachel? Did you hear me?" Brittany's voice finally seemed to penetrate the fog that was Rachel's mind. She turned confused eyes onto the blonde, which earned her snickers from the other two cheerleaders.

"I'm sorry Brit. My mind just got away from me for a moment. What did you say?" Rachel pushed Noah from her mind, not believing she had allowed him to cloud her mind so easily. How was supposed to make it through the school day if she couldn't concentrate? Algebra II had definitely shown that she needed to keep her brain focused on school work, and only school work, if she wanted to keep her grades up. Thankfully, Puck did not share Spanish II with her, giving her enough time to compose herself before she saw him again at lunch.

"I was just wondering what changed. I mean, you and Puck are usually…hands, but we've caught you two almost getting it on twice today!" Brittany whispered, Mr. Schuester having started the class. Rachel's face blushed with the reminder of her harlot like behavior. _Oh, but both times were amazing! You can't get embarrassed about being attracted to your boyfriend. Wouldn't you rather be attracted to the person you're dating. Shut up Berry, they're waiting for an answer and you look crazy just staring off into space, talking to yourself._

"I don't know Brit, it was just like…an urge I couldn't stop this morning. Usually I have a firmer control n my self-impulse, just this morning I couldn't seem to rein myself in. And I didn't _want_ to." Rachel whispered back, copying the notes Mr. Schue was writing even though she was only half-way paying attention.

"So you guys haven't fucked yet?" Santana asked, making sure to be crude since Berry usually didn't like it. But her only response was a blush and a shake of the head.

"No Santana, we have not had intimate relations of that nature yet." Santana rolled her eyes at Rachel's formal response, knowing the girl simply couldn't bring herself to speak in an 'uncivilized' manner.

"By the looks of it, that little adventure isn't far off." Rachel blushed deeper, but she had to agree with Santana, especially if she continued to show a poor ability to keep her hands off Puck.

"When it does happen, I'm sure it will be great. I mean, you've both admitted to…_being_ with him, so you know." Rachel knew she should probably feel jealous of her friends (yes they were friends! Yay), but when she was with Puck, she felt like the only one he wanted. As long as she remained the focus of his attention, she could deal with the fact that her man was a (reformed hopefully) manwhore.

"Puck is amazing inside the bedroom Ray. I mean…I'm sure it will be so much better since he actually _likes_ _likes_ you." Brittany whispered, giving Rachel a small smile. She might not always understand what was going on around her, but Brittany knew girls usually did not like to hear about their boyfriends' sexual prowess from other girls.

"Oh I have no doubt Brit." Rachel whispered, a giggle working its way up into her throat. She just couldn't seem to help herself, the thought of actually sleeping with Puck feeling her with a giddiness she didn't want to examine too closely.

Their conversation was interrupted as Mr. Schuester fixed them with a glare, demanding they conjugate the words on the board into past possessive form since they liked to talk. Rachel just rolled her eyes as she did as she was told, thinking Mr. Schuester really needed to get laid. _Oh my god! Noah is rubbing off on you! The next thing you know, you'll be cursing and making sexual innuendos at every turn. The horror!_

Rachel buried her head in her Spanish book when her thoughts made her start giggling again, earning her questioning looks from both her friends. But the thought of how proud Puck would be to learn he was indeed rubbing off on her was very amusing. She finally got control of herself and was able to concentrate for the rest of the period, even though she continued to have 'Puck' thoughts for remainder of class.

/*/

Puck tried to pay attention in English II, knowing Rachel would probably question him about his class during lunch. He just couldn't seem to stop thinking about her and their morning activities. He never knew Rachel Berry would be so open to PDA, especially not the kind that led to grinding and moaning. He was totally floored by her disregard to any observers, which was so totally hot.

_I might just be corrupting the innocent Rachel Berry. Oh the possibilities. Her mouth is so talented during making out, it's not hard to imagine what it could do wrapped around my cock._ Puck was totally lost to the class with that thought, the visuals of Rachel sliding under his desk to suck him off too enthralling (shut up) for him to even pretend to pay attention.

He would be lying if he didn't admit to being surprised at how much Rachel's prescience, and lips, was helping him get over the miscarriage. He had expected to be angry and hurt for a long time, but it was as if she was a healing balm or some shit. He still ached a little for the little girl he would never know, but without that burden, he was beginning to see what a blessing it might have actually been. Hopefully Finn would never find out, so he wouldn't lose his best friend and he was starting to see a future that placed him far away from Lima, Ohio.

He would never admit this aloud, as that would be a complete pussy move. But he was thankful Rachel had come into his life again, soothing the pain and making him visualize a brighter future. Shut up! Badasses could so think about the future without being girls! If he was willing to stop bullying, then he should also be willing to actually apply himself so he _could_ get out of Lima. Working to get out of the shit town was total badass, thank you very much.

Shifting his thoughts back to the fantasy of Rachel on her knees, only in knee socks (so hot), he passed the rest of class with a lewd smirk firmly in place. The teacher was too surprised the Noah Puckerman was actually seated in the classroom for her to complain about his obvious lack of attention. She just hoped that sooner or later the boy would realize how bright he was and actually apply himself.

/*/

Puck grinned smugly when he pushed Rachel into a desk in the back of the room, knowing she usually sat up in the front row. But their time at lunch had been total PG, with Finn and Quinn once more joining their table. The good mood he had been in all morning faded a little at their presence, but he refused to let the hurt back into his heart. He wasn't going to mope around for months about something he couldn't change.

Rachel knew she gave into him too easily, but he hadn't been in World History except twice since the semester started, so she was just glad he was finally attending classes. She had actually forgotten that they actually had three classes in common (Alg II, W. History, Bio I) because of his absences, so she was both excited and surprised when he kept a hold of her hand after walking to class.

If sitting in the back meant he would actually attend class, than Rachel was willing to do so. Besides, she could still see the board perfectly (20/20 vision), so it wasn't like she was going to miss anything.

Since there were actual desks in the class instead of tables, Puck had to keep his hands to himself and actually pay attention. He realized that if he wanted to pass the class, he was definitely going to have to get Rachel's notes, as they were already talking about the Tudor Dynasty, which was like in the sixteenth century or something. He was tempted to just the hell with it and doodle (in a manly way), but every time he peeked at Rachel, she had this pleased smile plastered to her face as she scribbled away. _I am so fucking pussy whipped. How the fuck did that happen? I haven't even gotten in her pants yet and she's got me going to class! I am so fucked!_

/*/

"Okay, so Rachel and Puck are plastered together in the West Wing. I don't know how long they'll stay there, so we should really hurry." Mercedes said as she streaked into the choir room. Brittany nodded and fished out the recorder from her bag, lying in on top of the piano as everyone (minus Puck) gathered around it. Brittany pressed the play button and Rachel's voice (slightly muffled due to the pillow) filled the room.

After the recording ended, everyone shared looks of guilt. Yeah, they had never been very kind to Rachel, but many hadn't really thought about the way their words would hurt her. She was always just so irritating that no one seemed to be able, or willing, to take her feelings into account as they insulted her. She never really showed how their words affected her, so they hadn't really thought about it.

"Am I the only one who feels like a bitch?" Tina's voice broke through the silence. Everyone was still unused to her talking without a stutter, which apparently had been fake; they just nodded their heads, lost in their own memories or thoughts about the 'diva'.

"I can't believe I actually treated her like that." Brittany said, still ashamed of her previous behavior. Getting to know the short girl had shown how wrong everyone was about her, especially when it came to her body. Rachel had gotten naked with Brit and San for the whole waxing night, and there was nothing 'manly' about her. (Her and Santana had so thought about trying to get Rachel to do a three way. But they figured she wasn't ready for that type of relationship, yet. Plus, they all had boyfriends now, so Brit wasn't sure how well that would go over.)

"So Brit, do you think Rachel will come back?" Mike asked, his arm wrapped around her slim waist. Brittany shrugged, not really knowing if Rachel was serious when she said she would think about rejoining or not. People were always telling her one thing and doing another, so Brit had no clue what Rachel would really do. _Ray usually does what she says, so she'll probably think about it. She's never lied to you about anything, so she'll definitely think about it. _

"She said she would think about it, and I believe she keep her word." Brittany said, reaching over to grab the recorder. Which wasn't a minute too soon as Puck sauntered into the room at that moment, a shit-eating grin on his face. His shirt was rumpled (it had definitely been grabbed, repeatedly) and his 'hawk was actually messed up, the short hairs sticking out at odd angles.

"Thank you for joining us today Puck." Mr. Schuester said, trying to cover for the awkward silence that had descended the room. No one had wanted to approach the teen about trying to get Rachel back in the club, as he had been the loudest voice in the fight, saying Rachel had her reasons for leaving and it should be her decision alone to rejoin. Puck gave them all a weird look but nodded, sitting down in the back where he planned to fantasize about his girl. (Hey, it beat watching Artie and Kurt sing a ballad, which was soooo gay). _Better not mention that to Berry, she'll lecture you ever on it being 'offensive'. Whatever, it was two dudes singing a ballad._

Puck was interrupted from that thought when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He was shocked to see Rachel's name, as she stressed the importance of paying attention in all his classes, and he was surprised she would actually text him while he was in _Glee_. Glancing up and seeing the entire group's focus was on the painful sight of the two boys singing, Puck flipped open his phone.

_*Are you going to be able to take me to dance class tonight? I didn't think about it when you picked me up this morning, but I know you have fight club after football practice. I just need to know in case I need to call one of my dads.*_

Puck had to take a minute to try and get the image of Rachel in a, what were they called…a leotard? Whatever, all he knew was that they were painted on, and the image was hot.

_*Yeah I can take u. I'm skipping fight club, I have to tlk to Burt Hummel so there's engh time 4 me to take u*_

_*What do you have to talk to Mr. Hummel about?*_

_*Oh, that was very intrusive of me. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, it's not really any of my business. Sorry.*_

_*It's cool. I asked Kurt yest if his dad was looking 4 help & he is. So I have an interview after scl*_

_*Oh, I didn't know you had experience with vehicle maintenance. Good luck on the job interview. *_

_*I'm taking auto this sem. & I've done all the wrk on my trk.*_

_*Oh, that's amazing Noah. Now I know who to call when I'm having car trouble.*_

_*I can help w a lot more than just car trbl*_

_*I'm sure you would be able to help me with any and all my future needs Noah. I have faith in you…skills.*_

_*Oh, u're teasing me now? 2 can play that game babe.*_

_*You should really focus on Glee practice Noah. It's not very becoming of a possible leading man to be so unfocused.*_

_*u started this missy*_

_*Hmm…I guess I'll just have to finish it after dance class.;)*_

Puck groaned as he flipped the phone closed, still amazed at the demon he had unleashed. Rachel had been so…reserved before they started dating, and now she was flirting with him through text. He really couldn't wait until they rounded the last base, as he was sure Rachel would be a hellcat in bed. _I can't fucking wait!_

/*/

Puck didn't know how he ended up sitting at the Berry dining room table, Rachel's notes spread out in front of him. One minute they had been making out in her drive way, then the next he was eating dinner with them, and they she whipped out her notebooks and demanded he copy her notes. After his interview with Burt Hummel, which went very well, he hadn't really expected to end up doing homework when he was with Rachel.

And apparently she had been in contact with his other teachers (she was _so_ a teacher's pet) and they had actually willingly emailed her the notes from his other classes. Who in their right mind would have their teacher's emails? And when did teachers start emailing out notes? Puck was so confused.

Rachel trotted back into the room from her dad's office, where she had just printed out all Puck's missing notes. She was shocked that the teachers had been so receptive to her pleas, apparently they wanted him to succeed just as much as she did.

"Here you go Noah, these are all the notes for English, Spanish, and Computer. Mrs. Sheldon, the computer teacher, actually said that if you just completed all the missing work, she wouldn't take any late points off. I was pleasantly surprised at how responsive all the teachers were, as usually they don't like to actually forgive late work." Rachel said as she sat the stack of paper down next to Noah's elbow. The poor boy looked up at her, his confusion clear as day. She just smiled and kissed him before sitting down across from him, taking out her English III homework.

The two sat there doing work for about an hour and a half, which the Berry men thought was amazing. They hadn't thought that Rachel would actually get Noah Puckerman to do homework, even for a short while. So when the clock chimed ten o'clock, they decided to take pity on the boy and told them to wrap up so Noah could go home. Rachel pouted for a minute before agreeing, walking him out to his truck to say goodnight (and have a short make out session). The two parted and Rachel watched his truck drive away from her house before she went back inside.

"Baby, I think we need to have a talk." Leroy said when she came back inside. Rachel looked at him questionably, but she followed her dad into the living room, where Hiram was seated. Leroy joined his partner on the couch and Rachel sat in the chair opposite them, wondering if she had done something wrong.

"We're very proud of you for trying to get Noah to become a better student. We know that if he tries, he'll be just fine with regards to being able to graduate. But we're a little concerned…well-"

"What your dad is trying to say, sweetie, is that we know his reputation. Not that we hold it against him, because you know we don't. But after you told us about him getting that girl pregnant, we worried." Rachel began to open her mouth, but Leroy cut her off, needing to get everything out in the open before the men lost their nerve. Because talking to your teenage daughter about sex? Not an enjoyable conversation!

"We trust you to make your own decisions darling. And you're old enough to decide if you're ready for a…physical relationship with Noah. But we want to make sure your prepared, so that nothing…unexpected happens. That's why we've made you a doctor's appoint for tomorrow after school. We've already emailed your cheerleading coach, and she has excused you from practice."

"Why would I miss practice?" Rachel asked, her brain not really catching up to the entire conversation. The thought that her dads were clearly going to make her get on birth control made her face flush, as obviously they knew her and Noah were very close to having sex.

"Um…the type of examination they do before administer birth control can be rather painful. So you shouldn't engage in any strenuous activity afterward, such as cheerleading."

_Oh god, they're talking about a __Papanicolaou_ _test (pap smear). That is so embarrassing!_

Rachel just nodded, which made her dads looked extremely relieved before she fled up to her room. She threw herself onto her bed, not believing she had just had that conversation. Sure, her dads had always been very open with her about almost everything, but she hadn't expected them to put her on birth control. She was glad that they liked Noah and seemed to be willing to overlook his past behavior, but it was still mortifying!

/*/

The next day, Rachel was in a stranger state than normal, kind of just floating from class to class. She had her morning kissage with Puck, then went to library for her study hall and then to Chemistry I before lunch. During the lunch period, she hadn't been able to stop giving Puck these looks that had him squirming in his seat (so unbadass). She just couldn't get the fact that she was going to be going on birth control out of her head.

_This means that in a few weeks I can have sex with Noah. Well, I can do that before then, but after a few weeks, we can have, what do they call it? Bareback? Although I don't know if I'd be willing to risk it. I mean, birth control is only 97%-99% effective. There's always a chance that it will fail, so one should always cover as many bases as possible._

She couldn't even remember English class, and when Puck sauntered into Biology, Rachel was thrown back into her thoughts. This was not a good thing, as that day's lab had them using sharp utensils, and she almost cut herself. If Puck hadn't been paying attention (shocking, I know), she would have cut right into her finger. He had lectured her on paying attention (so funny) before taking away the knife to do the work himself.

But try as she might, Rachel just could not focus. Thankfully her father was picking her up to take her to the doctor's, as she was afraid she would have wrecked if she was behind the wheel. The examination was not a pleasant experience, and Rachel didn't relish the fact that she would need to begin getting yearly exams, especially now that she was _sexually active_.

When Puck texted her after football practice, asking if she was okay and if she wanted to hang out, Rachel just said she wasn't feeling well and that he should hang out with his friends. She reminded him how he hadn't hung out with Finn in a long time, making him feel guilty enough not to demand he be able to see her. Smiling at her accomplishment, Rachel sat at her desk and started doing research, wanting to be prepared when the birth control would be put to use.

/*/

(Friday)

Rachel rushed through the hallway, trying to find any of the Glee club members before Puck found her. She had said she needed to speak with Brittany before Algebra, and after some pouting, he had let her go. Seriously, that boy pouts a lot for a 'badass'. She finally skidded to a halt when she almost ran into Kurt and Mercedes, who were gossiping by a water fountain.

The two friends were surprised when Rachel ran up to them, and shared a bewildered look when Rachel held her hand up, showing she needed to catch her breath. Finally Rachel was able to calm her breathing enough to lift her head.

"Sorry, I ran all the way from the parking lot. I was wondering if I might be able to run an idea past you guys." When the two simply nodded, not really sure what to say in response, Rachel launched into her long winded question. Basically, she wanted to know if she could join the Glee club that afternoon to do a group ballad for Finn and Quinn, showing the couple that they were all there for them.

The two gossipers felt a little guilty at the question, as they had just been discussing the fact that the loss of the baby had made the couple more quiet. But they agreed to ask the other members if that was okay, as everyone had been having issues with their ballads, as the entire group was so wrapped up in the couple's business that they hadn't really been able to come up with any suitable song choices.

Rachel thanked them for the consideration and told them she'd be in the choir room at lunch if everyone agreed, so they could practice before singing for the couple after school. Once the brunette rushed back down the hall, the two got moving on their phones, getting acceptances from the Glee members (except Finn, Quinn, and Puck) within a few minutes. Having succeeded they texted Rachel it was an affirmative before they both had to rush to their own classes.

/*/

"What are we doing here Berry?" Puck asked as Rachel dragged him into the empty choir room. He was really hoping to have some alone time with her in his truck, since she didn't seem keen on actually eating for lunch. He did not want to spend the 45 minute break in the choir room, unless of course she wanted to defile the room. He would be so good with that.

Unfortunately, he could already tell that that was not an option, as Rachel pulled out a stack of sheet music from her bag. _Girl seriously needs to prioritize. Having a hot make out session trumps singing, ever time._ He had to bit his tongue from letting his disappointment show as she smiled at him and handed him she lyrics.

"I have spoken to Kurt and Mercedes, who have gotten the rest of the Glee club to agree, to sing a ballad for Finn and Quinn. It is very important that they know we're here for them in their time of need and that they don't have to shelter the pain by themselves." Rachel said, wrapping her arms around his waist and staring up at him.

Puck's jaw had clenched when she mentioned Fuinn, even though he tried not to let it bother him. He had spent the night hanging out with Finn, which he was surprised he had actually missed, so he didn't want to ruin anything my getting mad that no one knew who the real father was.

"I know no one can know the truth Noah, but I want you to know that I'm singing to you too." Rachel said, leaning up on her tiptoes to lightly kiss his chin, as it was as high as she could go. Puck wrapped his own arms around her and leaned down to kiss her, thanking whoever out there had pushed the two of them together.

They were interrupted by the appearance of the rest of the Glee kids, including Mr. Schuester. Rachel handed out the lyrics, which were well received by everyone. They spent the next twenty minutes running through it, until everyone knew what parts they were singing. After running through the number a few times, the group split up to spend the last few minutes of lunch with their respective others or friends.

/*/

Finn was confused as to why he was being led into the choir room, especially when he saw Quinn sitting in a chair in front of the rest of the Glee club. He was surprised and pleased to see Rachel standing at the front of the group. Kurt pushed him down into the chair next to Quinn's before going to stand next to Mercedes.

"We've all had some trouble with trying to find ballads this week, so we thought we'd dedicate a group one to you instead. We just want you to know that we're here for you guys and you'll always have us to lean on." Mercedes said, nodding at the couple. Quinn gripped Finn's hand when the group started singing "Lean on Me", tears springing to her eyes.

When the song ended, Quinn was in tears and surged off the chair, wrapping Mercedes in a hug. The larger girl hugged her back, more effected by the song than she would have thought. She might not practically like Quinn all the time, but she didn't think the girl deserved to lose her baby either. The rest of the members were treated to the same, a crying Quinn hug.

When she got to Puck, Quinn whispered how sorry she was and that he would have been a great dad. Puck actually felt a little teary eyed after the confession, but luckily Rachel took Quinn's place, tightly winding her arms around him and giving him all the comfort she could.

The couple ended up sitting (with Rachel across his lap) in the back of the room as the rest of the club continued to exchange hugs and encouraging words. Rachel nuzzled her head into his neck, relishing in both the feel of his arms around her and the afterglow of performing. Puck ran his hand up and down her back, a lot calmer than he would have thought he'd be after the song.

"I'm so glad we did this. I know it must have hurt that they were singing to Finn, but you really showed your colors today Noah. I'm so proud of you." Rachel mumbled, which earned she a squeeze.

"You've missed it, haven't you? Performing with a group." Puck asked quietly, not wanting the others to overhear him. Rachel nodded against his neck.

"I almost forgot how amazing it feels to share the spotlight. I've always been so obsessed with being the only one to get solos that I never really thought about the…sense of pride you can get when the entire groups performs a number. All those voices working together to make one sound is truly remarkable." Puck lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. He could see the longing in her beautiful (shut up) brown eyes, and he knew she desperately wanted back in the group. The only question was if she was willing to come back or not. _Mine as well find out._

"Do you want to come back babe? To be honest, it's been a drag without you here to bust our chops. But do _you_ want to rejoin?" Rachel stared into the most amazing hazel eyes (seriously, they're like super sexy!), seeing that unlike other Gleeks, he wasn't trying to push her into coming back. She sighed and leaned forward, not able to resist the call his full lips always seemed to be sending to hers. After a few kisses, Rachel pulled back again.

"I have missed Glee so much Noah. It's been like a piece of me is missing, like I left it in this room when I walked out. But it's already been so long, I don't think they would want me to come back now."

"I think you're wrong about that Rach. You have a lot more friends in here now than you used to. You have me, of course, but also Brit, Sans, Mike, Matt, Finn, Quinn, Artie, and Tina. The only two that ever really make any nasty comments anymore are the other divas, as they're jealous of your talent. So if you want to come back, I know you'll be welcomed." Rachel bit her lip in uncertainty as she looked listened to him. She would never be able to accuse him of not being able to be serious, that was for sure.

"Okay, if you think they'll want me back, than the least I can do is ask Mr. Schuester. I mean, the worst he can say is no, right? (Puck nods) And Kurt and Mercedes will just have to deal and work harder if they want solos, since it's not my fault I'm better. (Puck nods again, even though he hides a laugh at her words with a cough) Okay, I'm going to ask Mr. Schuester." Rachel got off his lap, about to head to the director when she felt the warm calloused fingers of Puck's hand slide into hers. Looking up, she just got a small smile of encouragement before the two descended the raised platform.

"Mr. Schuester, I was wondering if I might be able to speak with for a moment." Rachel said quietly. Will looked surprised but nodded, following the couple to the side of the room, away from prying eyes and ears. Rachel took a deep breath, the grip on Puck's hand tightening before she squared her shoulders and met Mr. Schuester's questioning gaze.

"I was wondering if it might be possible for me to rejoin the Glee club. I know it has been weeks since I quit, so I realize that I will have to work hard to catch up with everyone, but I would be more than happy to do the extra work." Rachel said all in one breath. Mr. Schuester had to keep his face from breaking out into a happy, relieved look.

"Well, it's only fair that you would have to audition. But if the Glee club members agree that your audition meets their requirements, I see no problem with that." Mr. Schuester said, ignoring the eye rolling from Puck. He had to be fair to all the students, and since Rachel had quit, she would have to tryout again. Although, everyone knew she would be allowed back in.

"Of course Mr. Schuester, I completely understand. Would you like me to go to the auditorium now, or do you want me to do it on Monday?"

"Actually, if you want to do it now you can just do it here." Rachel bit her lip again in uncertainty, but the steady firmness of the body next to hers calmed her down. She nodded her head before going to speak with Brad the piano player. Puck retook his seat, watching as Rachel nervously fluttered around the room, making sure everything was ready before she stepped in front of the group. Mr. Schuester had motioned for everyone to sit while Rachel got prepared, and now their entire focus was on Rachel.

"I have asked Mr. Schuester if it would be possible for me to rejoin the club, as our group number has made it quite apparent how much I have missed it. To be fair to all students, Mr. Schuester has requested that I audition once more." Rachel said, giving a little jerky nod. She met Puck's gaze, and when he gave her that little private smile, Rachel grinned back before nodding to Brad. Everyone, who had started whispering about Rachel finally coming back, quieted down as the music started.

"Something has changed within me,  
Something is not the same.  
I'm through with playing by the rules  
Of someone else's game.

Too late for second-guessing,  
Too late to go back to sleep.  
It's time to trust my instincts,  
Close my eyes and leap.

It's time to try  
Defying gravity  
I think I'll try  
Defying gravity  
Kiss me goodbye I'm  
Defying Gravity  
And you won't bring me down...

I'm through accepting limits  
'Cause someone says they're so.  
[ Lyrics from: lyrics/g/glee/defying_ ]  
Some things I cannot change,  
But till I try, I'll never know.

Too long I've been afraid of  
Losing love I guess I've lost.

Well, if that's love,  
It comes at much too high a cost!

I'd sooner buy  
Defying gravity.  
Kiss me goodbye,  
I'm defying gravity.  
I think I'll try  
Defying Gravity  
And you won't bring me down.

I'd sooner buy  
Defying gravity.  
Kiss me goodbye,  
I'm defying gravity.  
I think I'll try  
Defying Gravity

And you won't bring me down.  
Bring me down!  
Ahhahhoahh"

Rachel's voice swelled with so much emotion that it literally filled the room. Puck was mesmerized (she's fucking hot when she sings), and he desperately wanted to devour her. When her voice trailed off, Puck was just as surprised as she was when she got a standing ovation, even Kurt was clapping widely. Rachel took a little bow, her face flushed with pleasure.

"Well, I think it is unanimous that you are accepted. Welcome back to Glee club Rachel." Mr. Schuester said, grinning at the girl. Rachel beamed at everyone, her body brimming with happiness. Suddenly, everyone was down by the piano, the volume of their voices making it hard to actually understand what they were saying. But when Brittany started hugging her and jumping around excitedly, Rachel couldn't imagine anywhere else she would rather be.

**Songs: "What Hurts the Most" – Rascal Flatts; "Lean on Me" – Bill Withers; "Defying Gravity" – Wicked**

**Okay guys, this was a 29 page, 1400+ chapter, so leave reviews! I hope you all enjoyed it. And don't worry, there will be actual M rated material in the future, I've just been trying to not rush their relationship too fast. Again, please REVIEW!** **And sorry for any errors, it's 4:30 am and I don't care anymore!**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I don't remember if I said this, but there's not football or cheerio practice on Fridays; but, there is Glee practice on Fridays. I know it seems like a lot, to go to Glee club every single day, but it's working for the story, so that's how it is. Also this chapter is a short one, sorry, but I just needed to get it posted.**

aussiegleek18: Thanks for reviewing again! They make me happy!

Shay: Girl you make my day every time I get an alert that you've reviewed! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter! It took **forever** to write! I was up till like 4:30 in the morning! Craziness! I'm not making any guarantees that the future chapters will be as long, because that last chapter was a beast! I love badass Rachel too! Although, I'm not trying to make her into a miniPuck. I'm still trying to stay true, if only slightly bent, to Rachel's character from the show. Same with Puck. I don't want him to just suddenly be a bookworm, because that is sooo not even close to his character! But I'm glad you like the way I'm writing them! Now about Finn…well I can't give anything away. I hope you like this next chapter! And thanks for getting Ashley to read this! I love new readers!

Ashley: I'm glad you like the story so much. I'm really having fun writing it. I love Pezberry friendship too! So don't worry, they'll definitely be friends. I haven't decided yet if I'm bringing in Sam or not, so stay tuned. Hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 7: Fun Times

Rachel smiled to herself as she was surrounded by all the members of the Glee club. She felt the childish urge to spin around the room, laughing in happiness as they welcomed her back into the club. That embarrassing moment was only avoided by sheer will power, and also the fact that Puck had wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm really glad you decided to come back." Puck whispered in her ear, smirking when she shivered. Rachel turned in his arms to face him, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.

"I am too. I can't believe how much I actually missed it; I even missed the bickering and drama, if you can believe it!" Rachel said, beaming up at her boyfriend. She swore her heart was going to burst from her chest in any moment from sheer happiness. Puck just smiled down at her, thinking she was the most adorable thing ever. And sexy. Yea sexy was way more badass…but she was fucking adorable, so shut the fuck up.

"Since you're in such a good mood, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out tonight? Eli is staying at a friend's house, so I don't have to babysit." Rachel's eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean…like on a _real_ date? In public and everything?"

"Of course I mean in public. How long is it going to take you to realize I'm not ashamed to be seen with you? I thought we were passed this." Puck said, his words coming out harsher than he intended. But damn, she apparently had very little faith in him. And that shit stung.

"Sorry Noah. I just…I've always been told I was an embarrassment, and I guess I'm not as over it as I thought. I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by what I said." Rachel whispered, not wanting him to be angry with her. She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings (and yes, Noah has feelings), it just seemed to come second nature for her to doubt other people's motives.

"Well good then. So are we going out or what?"

"I would love to go out with you Noah. May I ask where we're going? I need to know the location, the type of wardrobe requirements, and the type of atmosphere. Once you provide that information, I am sure I can come up with an appropriate outfit that will not embarrass you or myself. Maybe I should make a chart to determine what attire would be best suited." Rachel trailed off, obviously in her own little world. Puck just rolled his eyes, still amazed that he was even attracted to the crazy that was Rachel Berry.

"Just wear something nice Rach. Not a ball gown or anything, but no shorts. I'll pick you up at 8." Rachel nodded before pulling away, smiling up at him before she hurried over to Kurt. Puck rolled his eyes again (this seems to becoming a habit) and started up a conversation up with the guys, as Mr. Schuester obviously wasn't going to try and get the Glee club to settle down.

"Kurt, could I talk to you for a moment?" Rachel asked the fashionista timidly, not wanting him to lash out at her for interrupting his conversation with Mercedes.

"'Cedes and I were just talking about you Berry! Your rendition of 'Defying Gravity' was, I hate to say it, very well done. Although, it did sound like your voice cracked on that high F note, but I guess even you can't sing everything." Kurt said in his typical snideness.

He might be glad to have Rachel back in the club, as they needed her talent, but that didn't mean they were instantly best friends. And okay, so maybe he was totally lying about her missing the note, but he didn't want her to get a bigger ego than she already had.

"Well thank you for the criticisms. I thought I hit the high F perfectly, but sometimes what one hears and what the audience hears are different." Rachel had to fight from telling him how wrong he was. If they were going to be an unbeatable force at Sectionals, she just had to let his false comments slide.

The two divas stared at her as if she had grown another head, having expected the small girl to start yelling about her perfect pitch and amazing performance.

"I was hoping I might be able to convince you to lend me some help tonight." Rachel asked, knowing that when Kurt didn't move away from Mercedes, that it would be pointless to ask to speak alone once more. The two friends exchanged confused, yet intrigued, looks.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I know you have taken offence to my taste in attire (Kurt snorts) and I was hoping you might be able to give me a hand picking out an appropriate outfit for my date with Noah this evening. It's the first real date we've been on, and I want to make sure that I do not draw any unwanted attention.

"I would hate to embarrass him when people from school might see him. He says he's not ashamed of me, and I really do believe him, but I still don't want to unknowingly humiliate him. I know he has a reputation to protect, especially now that he's in Glee.

"And while he has been able to end any outcry from the school populace with physical violence, I would really like for this night to not end up in a brawl. I also, you know, want to look _nice_ for him, especially since he's taking me out.

"He hasn't told me where exactly we're going, which is why I really need your help. Without the proper information, I could not possibly make a suitable choice, especially since I cannot rely on making a chart. But he said to wear something nice, so I guess we're going somewhere slightly formal, as he also said not to wear shorts. Although, why he would think I would wear _shorts_ on our first date, I don't know. I would never contemplate wearing _shorts_ for a first date! I'm not _that_ clueless.

"And I would have asked Santana and Brittany for help, but things can get awkward sometimes. I mean, I don't hold it against Noah or them that they've all had sexual relations, but I don't really want to hear about it while I'm trying to get ready for our first date. Brittany has this habit of locking onto a subject, like how her and Santana had often 'shared' Noah, and I really don't want to think about that. I mean, it's not anything I don't already know, but I don't want to hear about it. You know?"

Kurt and Mercedes just stared at her as Rachel rambled on and on and _on_. They kept sharing looks, clearly thinking Rachel had finally lost her mind. While she hadn't been in Glee, the two had forgotten just how…crazy Rachel could get.

And that stuff about the threesome? It was so going to be spread around school by the end of the day on Monday if they could help it. (Rachel really should have remembered she was talking to two of the biggest gossipers in school)

"Okay! Rachel, calm down. And while I find it fascinating that you can talk that fast with one intake of breath, you're giving me a headache. Be that as it may, I never pass up an opportunity for a makeover, so you can count me in. Mercedes too. We'll be at your house by five, so you better hurry home to shower and blow-dry your hair." Kurt said before dragging the dark-skinned girl away. They glanced back to see Rachel standing in the same position, her mouth opening and closing before she seemed to shake herself and grabbed her stuff.

Rachel hurried over to her bag, knowing Kurt would literally kill her, or pull all her hair out, if she wasn't were she was supposed to be at 5. She gave Puck a quick kiss goodbye before hurrying out of the room.

Puck just stared at the door, wondering where in the world she was going, since he was the one who drove them to school. He hid a smirk when Rachel came barreling back into the room, a blush plastered across her face.

"I forgot you were my ride. Can you take me home Noah?" Rachel asked, trying not to draw attention to her moment of embarrassment. Puck let out a chuckle before he grabbed his own bag and slung an arm over her shoulders, flicking his wrist in a 'goodbye' way as the two left the room. The others watched them go, but seeing as Mr. Schuester was just pouring through sheet music, the club quickly began to disperse.

/*/

Rachel spent an admittedly excessive amount of time in the shower after Puck dropped her off. She hadn't even allowed for more than a peck goodbye, wanting to be ready for when Kurt and Mercedes showed up, much to Puck's displeasure. _He really does act like a five year old sometimes. _So her extremely long shower was a surprise, but she wanted to make sure her hair and body was scrubbed down and would smell amazing.

So by the time she was out of the shower, she only had ten minutes until the twosome arrived, and Rachel still had to dry her hair. But before she could do that, she had to rub her entire body down with lotion and moisturizer, as she wanted to look as fresh as possible. And having a strict skincare regiment was key to always looking your best, especially when it is almost inevitable that you'd wind up with a slushie to the face.

Thinking she could get a few more seconds if she didn't have to go let them in, Rachel texted Kurt that the door was open and to just come up when they got there. What? If she was going to be opening it so soon after getting home, why lock it? Okay, so maybe it was stupid, but Rachel had been in a super rush, so back off.

Grabbing her hair-dryer, Rachel flipped her head down and started in on her hair, hoping she got it dry in time. Kurt was just as able as she was to throw a 'diva' fit, and she didn't want him to do her person harm for not being prepared.

She didn't hear when her door open or when the two fashionistas began to set up their 'equipment', so she gave a shriek of surprise when she opened the bathroom door and saw them.

"It's about time! Come on, I can't even imagine how long it's going to take to get you ready." Kurt said, grabbing Rachel by the wrist and shoving her towards her vanity chair.

Rachel was surprised at how much makeup and other products littered her usually clean and neat vanity, but Kurt was already pulling at her hair, so she kept her mouth shut. Mercedes pulled open Rachel's closet and began to throw items into two piles, the 'maybes' and the 'hell nos'.

"Where'd all your sweaters go, hobbit? I would have thought they'd be hanging primly in here, but I haven't found _one._" Mercedes asked, her voice showing surprise and yet disdain at the same time. Rachel wondered why she asked them for help (well, she asked Kurt for help).

"I had…an episode one day and threw them all out." Rachel's voice was prickly, showing she believed they would start insulting her once more. Mercedes rolled her eyes before she went back to the closet.

"Well thank heavens for that! I would have burned them if I had gotten the chance. Now hold your head still, I'm going to curl you hair, and we wouldn't want you to get burnt."

Rachel stared straight ahead, once more questioning her actions. What if the two of them made her look like a fool in front of Noah? What if Kurt _did want_ to burn her with the curling iron? She just hoped that if they did plan to kill her, they would leave her body somewhere where it could be found so that her fathers could mourn properly.

"You know, I forgot how nice your hair actually is. When you just wore it hanging down like a mop, it looked stringy and unkempt. But it actually has nice volume and it's soft. I'm pleasantly surprised." Kurt said, running his fingers throw her hair as he picked up a section for curling.

"Thank you Kurt, that is very nice of you to say. After the first few slushies last year, I stopped trying to do anything intricate with my hair, as I would just have to take it down to wash it once I was at school." Kurt had to acknowledge her point, as he was himself a victim of the horrendous activity of slushing.

"I found something!" Mercedes said excitedly as she pulled out a dress that still had the tag attached. Rachel tried to look, but Kurt's firm hand on her head kept her from looking to the side, as she couldn't see the other girl in the mirror. Kurt looked over and saw Cedes holding up a dark purple spaghetti strap dress. Obviously it was meant for summer, but Kurt had to work with what he was provided.

"Great Cedes, but we still need the right accessories. They can, after all, make or break an outfit." Kurt said, Mercedes gave him a nod, agreeing with him completely. Accessories were _almost_ more important than the clothing!

When Kurt was finally done (around 7:45) Rachel was astonished. She could barely recognize the girl staring back at her, because the girl in the mirror was very pretty. She had creamy, tanned skin that was highlighted by a light sheen of powder. Her russet eyes were accentuated by smoky eye shadow (not too heavy) and her lips were painted a light rose color. She really couldn't believe that she could actually look like that! Especially with her hair curling around her face in large, loose ringlets.

"Kurt, you are absolutely amazing." Rachel said, almost lost for words. Kurt just smirked before gently pushing her over to Mercedes. Rachel blushed when the girl handed her the 'approved' set of underwear (a strapless black bra with matching thong) as well as the dress.

"Go get dressed. Lover boy will be here soon." Rachel rushed into the bathroom, knowing that she didn't even want to attempt to argue with the girl about the fact that the dress was obviously not meant for November weather.

But when she pulled the dress on, she was tempted to refuse to wear it. There was no way she could go out in winter with such a small dress on! While it was a nice length, grazing the tops of her knees, it was still extremely thin and had spaghetti straps! She was going to freeze to death. Or at the very least, get pneumonia! And that would be horrible for her voice, especially with Sectionals in two weeks!

"I don't think this was such a good idea for an outfit. I mean, what if we are outside? I'm going to get sick, and then I won't be able to sing at Sectionals, which means we'll probably lose, meaning we'll not go to Regionals or Nationals. Maybe I should just wear something with, like sleeves or something." Rachel rambled as she exited the bathroom.

"No way Barbra. Now put these on and you should be ready." Kurt said, handing her black flats. Rachel sighed, but slipped her feet into the shoes, knowing that there was no way to talk them out of their decisions. Mercedes handed her the black mini-sweater, although Rachel didn't know how that was supposed to keep her warm. Seriously, it was like they really were out to get her killed or sick.

She was about to start protesting again when the doorbell rang and Rachel had to clamp her hand on her stomach to try and still the butterflies. They had been dating for weeks, yet she was nervous to go on an actual date. What if they didn't have anything to talk about? What if she got food on her teeth? What if-

"Diva, you better get down there to that boy or he's going to think you're standing him up." Mercedes said as she and Kurt packed up their stuff. She might not like Rachel all the time, but she could tell how anxious the smaller girl was. She gave Rachel a light push, which caused Rachel to jump slightly before nodding.

"Right…Noah's downstairs. For our date. I can do this." Rachel mumbled and Kurt had to stop himself from literally pushing the girl down the stairs. Instead, he picked up her small clutch purse, placed it in her hands, and pulled her down stairs.

Before Rachel could do or say anything more, Kurt wrenched the front door open, to a well-dressed Noah Puckerman's surprise. Kurt had to keep himself from drooling at the sight of Puck in dark, well-fit jeans and a button down black dress shirt. _If I was into complete assholes, he would definitely be my number one crush. Thankfully, I'm more attracted to bashful idiots._

"Rachel, you look…" Puck trailed off when he saw Kurt, not wanting the guy to see Puck make a fool of himself over how beautiful Rachel was. Rachel smiled knowingly before she turned and gave the startled Kurt a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you so much for your help Kurt. And please tell Mercedes that I really appreciate it as well. I'm sorry that we're leaving before I could see you out."

"Don't worry about it doll. We're just about packed up and will be out of here in a few." Kurt said, not really sure how to respond to the kiss. He felt himself actually begin to like the petite girl a little more, shockingly enough.

Rachel smiled once more before turning back to Puck, who took her hand. Kurt watched the two walk to Puck's truck, where he opened her door and helped the small girl up into the vehicle before rounding it to get into the cab. Kurt waved to Rachel, who had beamed through the windshield and started waving. _Lucky girl. I need a man ASAP!_

/*/

Puck tried to concentrate on his menu, but he found his eyes were continuously drawn to the small form sitting across from him. He felt like such a girl, but she literally took his breath away every time he looked at her.

She had shed that ridiculously small sweater, so her bare shoulders kept catching the light, meaning they kept catching Puck's gaze and he was shocked at how sexy he was finding her _shoulders_. Seriously, he was like losing testosterone by the minute if he was so fixated on a pair of shoulders! But they were fucking sexy as hell!

Thankfully, the waiter arrived and took their orders, so Puck was able to concentrate fully on the girl. Rachel kept giving him this shy smile, which he found adorable (shut up), as if they hadn't been dating for, like, ever.

"I can't believe you actually brought me to Breadstix! I hear it's the most favored restaurant in Lima. Although, since we only have a handful of them, I guess that's not really that difficult of a status to achieve. But I really appreciate you bringing me here, as I've never been." Rachel said, her smile turning into a full watt one.

"You've never been here? Really?" Puck asked, very surprised that there was anyone in Lima that hadn't been there.

"Nope, never. I try to prepare my own meals, as I try and avoid dairy products whenever possible. Plus I'm a vegan, and many places do not offer such a choice. But they have vegan spaghetti, so I'm excited to try it out." Rachel said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Puck was going to ask her something, but he lost his train of thought when her neck was exposed. Shit, like every single part of this girl was hot as hell and driving him crazy!

"You look really nice tonight Rach." Puck said, his voice dropping to a husky rumble that had goose bumps spreading over her skin.

"Thank you Noah, although Kurt and Mercedes deserve the credit. They had me stuck in a chair for two and a half hours to get this result. But you clean up very nicely as well." Rachel said, her eyes racking down the portion of his body she could see.

His tanned skin seemed to pop against the black shirt, which also caused his eyes to appear as a brighter green than their normal, blazing hazel. She bit her lip when she met those eyes, having to fight down a shiver. He was just so sexy! Okay, get the conversation on something other than how sexy he is!

"So how did your interview with Mr. Hummel go? Has he called you back?" Rachel asked, fiddling with her napkin.

"Actually, he did call me this afternoon. He says I can start Sunday, so that's good. And he said he'd pay me un-…in cash." Puck cut himself off, almost wincing when Rachel's eyes sharped.

"You mean he's going to pay you in cash so that you don't have to be legally employed? Isn't that illegal? Don't you have to pay taxes once you start working?" Rachel asked, trying to keep her voice calm and level.

She was trying to mature past the middle school girl that squealed to adults (well, unless it regarded Noah's bullying, which she _never_ told any adults about) into someone who could hear the other person's view point.

"Yeah, I guess. It's just that, I can't really afford for the gov to take money out of a paycheck, especially since I got to try and get Quinn's medical bills paid before they go to a…what's it called?"

"A collection agency?"

"Yeah that. So I need cash as soon as possible, and Burt seemed cool with it." Puck shrugged, hoping she wouldn't get too upset. Sure, it was kinda illegal, but come on! He was 16. He didn't need a 'real' job, where you actually had to fill out paperwork and shit.

"I…I might not agree with your choice to do something _illegal_. However, I greatly admire you for wanting to help Quinn out. Although, I don't know if I agree that you have to pay off all the medical bills, as the situation was _both_ of your faults. But I think you're a remarkable young man Noah." Rachel said, sliding her hand to grip his over the table top.

"I know technically it's both our faults. But…well I seem to be handling everything better than her, so I just don't want her to have to worry about the bills. And it's not like Finn is going to be able to find a job." Puck shrugged his shoulder, showing he was uncomfortable with the topic, but he didn't release her hand.

Rachel felt her stomach clench at the mention of Finn, but she pushed the feeling down. She was not going to allow herself to cause more hurt just to ease her conscious.

"Well, I still think you're amazing and I'm positive Quinn will be thrilled for the help. You've really started to mature Noah." Puck gave her a pained look, which caused Rachel to giggle. Maturing past a seventh grader was apparently not very badass.

Before Rachel could say anything else, the waiter brought their plates to the table. The two dug in, the conversation shifting to far less emotional topics, such as their favorites (movies, colors, bands, etc.).

Puck was surprised at how at ease he was, especially when divulging personal stuff with Rachel. He'd never really 'dated', except for Santana, but that was still more about the sex than actually getting to know her. He'd always just been after tail, but he was finding that the more he learned about Rachel Berry, the more appealing she became. So, true, she talked WAY too much and got crazy eyes sometimes. But he was also finding that he was actually finding those aspects of her personality…endearing (shut up).

Rachel was almost bouncing in her seat in happiness. While the two had been dating for weeks, this was the first time they had talked about nonsense things, things that one wouldn't really think were important. But those details are what made the other person tick, and if one wished to be in a long-term relationship, they would surely need to know and accept all aspects of the other, even the smallest little thing.

When Puck ordered a chocolate mousse cake for desert, Rachel had to resist giving in and ordering one as well. Being a vegan really sucked sometimes, as there were definitely eggs in the desert!

But when Puck's desert came, Rachel could literally feel her mouth water, and she had to stop herself from asking for a bite. Puck, however, had other ideas. He slid out of his booth and quickly slid into hers, pulling the plate in front of them.

"Noah what are you doing?" Rachel asked as she had to scoot over on the bench to make room for him. Puck merely dipped his spoon in the treat before bringing it to her lips. Rachel's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"C'mon Rach. You can't do anything for the chicks, so you mine as well enjoy this." Noah's voice was deep and husky, which made Rachel aware of the effect his closeness was having on her body; meaning it had gone taut with awareness, her skin seeming to hum a plea to be touched. Before she really knew what she was doing, her lips parted (which was so sexy!) and Puck fed her the delicious dish.

"Hmm." Rachel swallowed slowly, her eyes closing at the pure lusciousness. Puck held in a groan at the noise, not believing she could seriously be so sexy without trying.

After the first bite, the two took turns feeding the other (cheesy alert!). When they were done, the two couldn't get back to Puck's house fast enough, as they were both having issues keeping their hands off each other.

Once they were safely inside the Puckerman home, Rachel was almost thrown onto the couch, which caused her to giggle before she was covered by Puck. Her breath hitched when Puck's mouth began moving down her face to her throat, where he nipped and sucked on the tight skin.

Rachel moaned as she tried to pull Puck's shirt up, desperately wanting to feel his skin, but it was a button down, long sleeved shirt that was not giving into her demands. Puck lifted off of her when Rachel began pushing on his chest, thinking she was calling it quits for. But Rachel just continued to push until Puck was the one laying down and Rachel crawled onto him, giving him a little smirk that caused his dick to twitch.

Rachel settled herself over his hips, not being able to help herself as he ground down on his straining member, which caused Puck to let out a groan as his hands flew to her hips to keep her in contact with his jean covered member. Rachel ran her hands up his stomach and chest until she got to the first button, which she quickly started with, not wanting to prolong the activity, as she wasn't willing to torture both of them.

Puck's hands moved down from her hips, instead settling on her upper thighs, which had become exposed as her dress skirt was scrunched up due to her positioning. He smirked to himself as she shuddered when his fingers skimmed the silky skin, inching the dress up with ever upward stroke. Rachel finally got the last of the damn buttons undone and flung his shirt open, having to stop herself from whining when she found yet another barrier (a tank top) in her way.

Chuckling at the irritated look on her face, Puck pushed himself up so that they were both sitting up, which allowed him to remove the dress shirt and pull the tank top off. Rachel let out a happy hmm before she pushed him back down onto the couch, following him down so that she could plant her lips firmly back on his.

As their tongues battled for dominance, Puck skimmed his hands up her sides until he got to her breasts, which he gently began to massage, loving the feel of them, even with the clothing barriers.

Rachel tore her mouth from his, her back arching into his hands, pushing herself further into his hands. Even though she couldn't actually feel his heated touch, she felt like sparks were flying from her breasts down to her center, setting her alight. She stared down at his heavy gaze, which was positively sinful, seeing the affect she had on him, which Rachel found amazing considering he was the 'sex shark'.

Before she really knew what she was doing, Rachel whipped her dress up and over her head, leaving her clad in only her underwear. When the dress was fully removed, she looked back down at him, only to find him with a look of such hunger that Rachel could swear she could actually feel his hands on her.

"You're so sexy Rach." Puck's voice was husky and deep, sending tingles through her body, even as she bit her lip and brought her hands up to her cotton covered breasts. The set wasn't anything spectacular, simply a black cotton duo, but by his look and words, you would have thought she was wearing lace and silk.

"You're very attractive yourself Noah." Rachel murmured, which earned her a cocky smirk before he sat back up and skimmed his hands up her back. He leaned his head down and brought their lips back together, not able to get enough of her taste. His hands kept stroking her back, until he slowly unsnapped her bra, causing Rachel to gasp as the garment fell away, leaving her pressed skin to skin with him.

"Oh…no wait. Wait." Rachel panted as she pulled away from him, her eyes wide as she stared at him. Puck immediately dropped his hands to her waist, not wanting to push her, even though he felt like he would go crazy if she didn't touch him.

"I…it's too fast Noah. I know it's not our first time, but…I want our second time to be better than the first one. I mean…I _want_ you…god I want you so much." Rachel said and pushed her mouth back onto his. Puck allowed her to kiss him again, but he knew Rachel, and if she had stopped them already, then they definitely were not going to be rounding the bases. And he was shocked that, even as his hard on was _killing_ him (seriously killing him), he was okay with slowing down if that's what she wanted.

"Rach, we don't have to do anything you're not ready for. I'm just glad you let me kiss you, so if you're not ready to go further, than I understand." Puck said when they pulled away. Rachel bit her lip, the battle going on in her mind displayed clearly on her face. She did want him (like A LOT), and while she wasn't a virgin, she still didn't want to do this on his mother's couch.

"I'm sorry Noah. I can't seem to keep my hands off you, and yet I keep pulling away. I just…I don't want to do this in your mother's house, on her couch. I know it's going to be a lot better than _that_ summer, but I just…I don't think I'm ready to take that step again." Rachel buried her head against his neck, not believing she was actually saying no. Her body was about to combust from arousal, and yet she was still saying no. She really hated herself at that moment.

"That's okay babe. We'll only do what you're comfortable with. And you know it'll be loads better. I got mad skills now." Puck said, and was thankful when she let out a giggle. He would have to take an ice cold shower, but he wasn't willing to push her too fast. Rachel lifted her head and pressed her lips against his, smiling against him mouth.

"Thank you Noah. But you know…just because I'm not ready for _that_ doesn't mean I'm not willing to try some other things." The words came out in a husky whisper, and Puck swore he swelled even more. He watched as Rachel slid off his lap, finally exposing her breasts to his gaze. She smiled at him before she slid off the couch, where she pulled his legs until he turned and she was kneeling in front of him.

"Babe, you don't have to-" Rachel cut him off by unbuckling his jeans and tugging down. Puck lifted his hips to help her, and Rachel pulled the jeans and his boxers down his legs. She rolled her eyes at herself when she couldn't take them off, because he still had his shoes on. Once that annoyance was out of the way, Rachel sat the articles of clothing to the side and looked up, seeing his engorged cock.

"You've certainly matured physically." Rachel said as she placed her body between his legs. Puck almost whimpered (almost! Not actually! He was too badass to _whimper_. Seriously.) at the sight of her, with her small tits still on display, placed between his legs, so close to his pulsing dick.

Puck was about to reply with some snarky comment (at least he was sure that's what was going to come out of his mouth) when his head fell back to his shoulders when Rachel circled her small hand around him.

She bit her lip in uncertainty, no sure if she was going to be able to please him right. She had never actually given a hand, or blow, job, so she wasn't sure if she was doing it right. But she had to extensive research on the subject, so Rachel held onto her courage and lowered her head, giving the very tip a light kiss.

Puck let out a groan at the feel on her soft lips, not believing this was actually happening. While he had done almost everything sexual a guy could do with a girl, he still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Rachel Berry was giving him a blow job. It was completely crazy, and so hot Puck worried he wouldn't be able to hold on for very long.

Rachel watched him as his Adam's apple bobbed, which she found very sexy, thus giving her the extra boost she needed to lower her mouth further down on him. She swirled her tongue around him as best she could (which was a little difficult since he filled her mouth almost completely), and brought her hand up to stroke the base. She alternated between firmer and gentler squeezes, until she found that he responded more to the firmer touches.

Puck was in heaven. It was officially, he had died and he had somehow managed to fool the people up there into letting him the pearly gates. Because, seriously, Rachel's mouth on him was totally the best thing ever.

Rachel slowly pulled away, allowing her tongue to swirl around the weeping head before pulling back fully. Puck let out a moan at the loss, but Rachel just smirked as she pumped her hand up and down, giving a light twist with each one. She brought her other hand up to his sack, which she massaged gently, loving that it caused the tissue in her hands to twitch.

"You know Noah, there was something I found out at the beginning of this year that I really didn't think I would have use for. Would you like to know what I found out?" Puck lifted his head, his eyes showing his utter confusion as to why in hell she was trying to have a logical conversation with him while she was tugging and pumping him. The girl was clearly crazy, because Puck was having a hard time just focusing on her face, let alone her words, so he just let out a strangled sound that could possibly pass for a 'yes'.

"So after attempting a stupid activity to try and make myself as feel more beautiful and skinny, I found out that…I don't have a gag reflex." Puck's eyes widened at the statement and he let out a strangled noise. Rachel smirked at him.

"Babe…please." Puck's voice was hoarse and Rachel took pity on him, sliding her mouth back over the throbbing head. Puck lowered his hands into her hair, guiding her head further down onto him. When she actually did lower herself all the way down, Puck's eyes nearly crossed when he felt her throat close around him.

"Arg." Puck wasn't sure what sound came out of his mouth, but when Rachel hummed, her throat was like, vibrating and shit. Add that onto her hands still playing with his jewels and Puck didn't think he would actually be able to keep himself from coming. When she set up a fast pace, with her mouth pulling back until just the tip was encased and then lowering back down, Puck knew he was loss.

"Babe, I hate to-ah-um. I don't think-fuck. You got to stop." Rachel lifted her head, a confused and hurt look on her face.

"Is something wrong? I thought I was doing it correctly. The sites on the internet portrayed a very similar method, so I thought I would be okay. What am I doing wrong?" Puck twitched at the thought of Rachel Berry watching _porn_. Jeez she was going to kill him.

"You're great Rach. Amazing actually. I just didn't want to…surprise you is all." Puck said as he took a firm grip on his cock. Rachel watched as he stroked up and down, transfixed at the sight of him touching himself. When he leaned over to the side table and grabbed a tissue, Rachel's eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh…I wouldn't have minded Noah. How are you ever supposed to know if you enjoy something if you never try it?" Puck whimpered, literally whimpered, when she said that. Rachel took that as the signal to bat his hands away and lower her full lips back down onto him. Puck let out a rasp sound when her throat once more circled him, Rachel swallowing so that the muscles milked him. And Puck felt his hips surge off the couch as he let out a strangled moan as he erupted into her throat.

Thanks to Puck's actions, Rachel was prepared for the bursts of heat into her throat. While she realized that she did not get the full…flavor…of him, as there were only a few taste buds in her throat, she was delighted to find out that she didn't really mind his taste. It was salt and weird, but Rachel was confident that she could get used to it. Besides, the rest of him tasted delicious, so she was sure she'd end up loving going down on him.

When Rachel released him, Puck just stared at her for the longest time, until Rachel began to fidget with nervousness. The next thing she knew, Puck had pulled her back onto the couch and was ravaging her mouth, not even caring that he could still taste himself. He was so beyond caring, all he wanted to do was show her how much he had enjoyed that. Because, and he was surprised by the fact, that was probably the best head he'd ever gotten. Even better than _Santana_.

Rachel moaned into his mouth, but then let out a cry of loss when he pulled away. But Puck just kept moving his body down until he was face to face with her pert peaks. Rachel gazed down at the Mohawk, lightly running her fingers through the short hairs as he gazed at her assets. She quickly began moaning in pleasure when he took first one, than the other, nipple into his mouth, paying each one with due respect.

After what felt like hours, Puck finally moved away from her chest, which caused Rachel to try and tug him back up. Puck gave her a devilish smirk as he continued south, lapping at her skin until he reached her panties. Rachel's breath hitched in her throat when he lightly nuzzled her through the cotton, and she lifted her hips when he began tugging at the material.

When Puck finally got the damn piece of cloth away, he was caught off guard to how, well pretty, she looked. She definitely hadn't been lying about waxing _everywhere_. He lightly skimmed his fingers over her, loving that there wasn't even the usually razor bumps. Rachel's breath continued to come out in puffs, Puck leaned forward and blew against her heated flesh, causing Rachel to shiver.

Puck lightly skimmed a finger over her petal soft lips, causing Rachel's hips to jerk. He smirked up at her again before lightly parting her so that he could get his first glimpse of the treasure hidden beneath. She was all pink and glistening, and Puck couldn't help but lick his lips in anticipation.

Rachel threw her head back and let out a (fucking awesome) moan at the swipe of his tongue. She had had sex before, but this was the first time anyone had done _this_ to her. Rachel couldn't stop herself when her hands gripped the short hairs of his hawk, keeping his face pressed tightly against her.

Puck let out a chuckle at her actions, the hot breath against her heated, pulsing center making Rachel gasp and raise her hips, anything to get him back to pleasuring her. Puck slowly stroked one finger up her slit, letting it get nice and wet (she's so fucking _wet!_) before he slowly inserted it into her weeping opening. Rachel shuddered at the intrusion, her hips giving a slight buck as her inner muscles tried to strangle the poor digit.

Puck continued to finger her slot as he concentrated his tongue and lips to her little nub. Rachel couldn't stop herself from moaning, or whimpering, or withering; all she could do was enjoy the ride and marvel at the wonders he could perform with his mouth and hands. When he added a second finger and began to curl up Rachel thought she saw stars. Like literal stars.

As he went about getting Rachel off, Puck couldn't help but appreciate what a sight she made. Her breasts were still exposed, and every time she wiggled against his hand, they jiggled in the most enticing way. They might not be very large, but she was a small girl, so they suited her perfectly. And besides, they were a handful, and that's all one really needs.

When he could tell Rachel was close, if the muttered curses (so fucking hot!) were anything to go by, Puck latched his mouth onto her clit and began sucking, while his fingers moved in and out of her, making sure to hit her g-spot with every inward stroke.

When Rachel came undone, Puck couldn't remember a more sexy sight he'd ever been privy to witnessing. Her head was thrown back, her chest heaved, her hands were in a death grip on his head and Puck couldn't get enough of her. He finally slowed his attentions, having swallowed her essence completely, until he finally stopped, her legs twitching every time his tongue passed over her.

Rachel just stared up at the ceiling, not believing she had just had the most powerful orgasm of her life on Leah Puckerman's couch. But even though she knew she should be appalled, Rachel couldn't even get up enough energy to move, let alone have a freak out.

Puck smirked to himself, feeling completely and utterly badass. He had gotten Rachel freaking Berry to lose her shit. It was AMAZING! He skimmed his hands up and down her thighs, loving the way she would shudder as if his mere touch was making her feel aftershocks. He grabbed her dress and sat down next to her, smirking more when her head fell heavily onto his shoulder.

"Noah…that was…" Rachel couldn't even seem to form a full thought, which just made him smirk even more (if that's possible). Rachel Berry, lost for words. _I am a fucking GOD!_

"Yeah babe, it was. Do you want to…watch a movie or something?" Puck asked, not really sure how to act. He hadn't really ever been with a girl the way he was with Rachel, and without having sex, he didn't really get how to go about things. It had always been bam bam thank you mam; he'd never like cuddled or any shit like that.

"Um…sure let me just…get cleaned up." Rachel said, a blush working its way over her body. Puck loved the way it started at her tits and moved up. He wanted to reach out and fondle her, but he could tell that Rachel was beginning to get embarrassed. So he just watched as she grabbed the dress from his hands and scurried around the couch, grabbing her bra and underwear off the floor as she went.

Letting out a sigh of loss, Puck got up and got dressed before he opened a window, trying to let out the musky smell. They might not have had sex, but it sure smelled like they did, and Puck found himself getting turned on again at the thought of their two scents mingling. Puck was surprised when Rachel came barreling back into the room, a look of shock and (maybe) fear on her pretty face.

"Do you know what time it is Noah? It's almost 1 o'clock in the morning! My dads are going to KILL me!" Rachel said, grabbing her sweater and sitting down hurriedly to slip her flats back on. Puck's eyes widened, not believing how late it was; where had the time gone? Oh yea, there it went, and it was AWESOME!

"I thought you didn't have a curfew?" Puck said as he grabbed his letterman's jacket. Rachel quickly moved out of the house and to his truck, tapping her foot in impatience when he stopped to lock the front door before joining her at the truck.

"I don't, but that is because they expect me to be responsible and make it home at a decent hour. 1 o'clock is _not_ a decent hour to arrive home from one's first date with their boyfriend." Rachel could feel herself blushing more, the thought that her dads would just _know_ that they had done _something,_ making her feel a little nauseous. Sure, they were really laid back and trusted her to make her own decisions, but for one's parents to know that their baby girl was having _sexual_ relations was just asking too much.

Puck tried to calm her down on the drive back to her house, but he failed miserably. He was a little mad (okay he was hurt) that she could go from being sexy and wanting to freaking the fuck out. Jeez, it's not like they had sex. When they finally reached the house, Rachel let a small noise of distress when it became apparent that at least one of her dads was awake. And then Puck remembered that she had not one, but _two_ fathers, and he could feel himself begin to sweat.

"Mine as well get this done. I had a really good night Noah, thank you for taking me out." Rachel said, looking over at him (does he look a little green?). Puck tried to smile at her, but he was beginning to picture Leroy rushing out of the house with a shotgun, ready to blow his head off for defiling Rachel.

He was shocked out of his thoughts when he felt the warm press of her lips against his cheek. He turned his face and captured her full lips with his, saying to hell with her dads because if he died while kissing her, than that was cool. The girl could fucking kiss like a champ, so Puck thought it was an okay way to go.

Rachel pulled back and gave him a small, very private (meaning sexy!) smile before she slid out of the truck. Before Puck knew what he was doing, he was also out of the vehicle and had grabbed her hand, walking her back to her doorstep. Dude, he was so fucking whipped!

The two shared another kiss before Rachel moved into the house, smiling at him again before slowly closing and locking the door. She sighed in contentment, not even caring anymore about her dads, the glow of being with Noah too powerful for anything to diminish it.

"Have a good date honey?" Rachel took a deep breath before turning towards the living room, where Hiram was waiting up. She gave the short man a beaming smile before nodding.

"It was fantastic daddy. Noah took me to Breadstix and, even though I'll have to pay for it for a couple of days, we had this chocolate mousse cake thing that was delicious. And we went to his house and watched a movie and…it was just amazing." Rachel said, her voice trailing off dreamily.

Hiram smiled at her, glad that she was finally getting the attention she deserved, even if he knew she was undoubtedly getting _physical_ with Noah. _You can't keep them babies forever. They have to grow up sometime. And the only thing a parent can do is make sure their children are prepared for the experiences of adulthood._

"That's great honey. I'm so glad Noah was able to make the night a dream. You deserve to have many nights like tonight, and I want you to make sure that Noah treats you right. He might be the son of a close family friend, but if he hurts you, I won't be able to keep myself or your dad from seeking retribution." Hiram said seriously, which just caused Rachel to smile and let out a giggle at the thought of her daddy trying to take on Noah.

"Also, it's not any of my or your dad's business what you and Noah do, as you're both mature young adults capable of making your own decisions or mistakes. But please make sure both of you are being responsible. And I mean more than just using protection honey. In this day and age, STIs are on the rise and I would hate either of you to have to deal with any such infections for the rest of your lives. So just, be responsible and I'm glad you had a good night." Hiram said hurriedly, knowing he wouldn't have the courage to say everything if he waited too long. While Rachel just stood there in shock, Hiram kissed her on the cheek before making his way upstairs, where Leroy was waiting to know how the night went.

_I cannot believe I didn't think of that! What if Noah has something without knowing it and now I have it? What if I've picked something up? The test results from when I got my Pap smear haven't come back yet. Oh god, I have to talk to Noah._

Rachel quickly ran upstairs and locked herself into her room, pulling her phone out of the small bag before quickly sending a text to Puck. She couldn't lay or sit down, so she just paced back and forth in front of her desk, waiting for Puck to answer her.

_*Noah, I really need to talk to you when you get home. Please call me!*_

Rachel almost dropped her phone when it started vibrating in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she flipped the bedazzled phone open.

"Oh Noah, we've been so irresponsible! What if we're both infected now? What if one of us gave the other a disease that will most likely not be cured in our lifetimes! I can't believe we were so _stupid_ and couldn't wait to get tested! We-"

"Whoa, whoa slow down there killer. What are you talking about?" Puck's deep voice washed over Rachel, calming her enough for her to actually take a breath and think.

"We haven't been tested for STIs recently. Well, I mean I have, because it's routine when having a Pap smear. But you need to get tested, like tomorrow, so that we can get our test results back quickly. What if one of is infected and didn't know it, and now we've infect the other?"

"Rach, calm down. I'm sure your test results will show you're clean, since you're totally responsible. And I'm clean, so don't worry about it."

"How do you know you're clean? Have you been tested recently? With your _history_, I mean, um…" Rachel trailed off, afraid she might offend him.

"Babe, I was tested last month and I haven't been with anyone since. With my history, I've always made sure to get monthly or bimonthly screenings. So don't worry." Rachel let out a breath at his words, her body slumping into her desk chair in relief. Logically, she had known she was clean since she was tested after her last sexual relationship, but fear had made her a little irrational. Only a little.

"That's great news Noah, thank you for being so responsible about your health. I should have trusted you to be adult enough to actually make sure you clear, I just had a little…melt down I guess is the best way to describe it. I apologize that I freaked out on you."

"It's cool babe, I already knew you were crazy." Puck laughed at her huff of exacerbation; she really was too easy to rile sometimes.

"I am not crazy you Neanderthal!" Rachel couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice, which was really counterproductive, but he just made her happy and want to laugh.

"Yeah, okay crazy. So what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Well, I have a dance class in the morning, as we're preparing for our winter recital."

"Do you want to hang out after football practice then?"

"I would love to hang out with you Noah, always. But don't you think you should spend at least one day of the weekend with your friends? Since you're starting work at Mr. Hummel's on Sunday, and you spent tonight with me, maybe you should dedicate tomorrow to your friends. I don't want to be the girlfriend that the guy friends think hog their friend and never let him out by himself." Rachel heard Puck chuckle, but she really didn't want to be _that_ girlfriend.

"Fine, don't hang out with me. You're going to miss my hot body though, so be prepared." Rachel let out a laugh, rolling her eyes at his smugness.

"You are so full of yourself Noah Puckerman. Now I have to take a shower before going to be, since I have to actually get up earlier than you. Good night Noah." Rachel said as she stood, beginning to strip.

"You're really mean to tease me with the image of you taking a shower! All naked and wet and sexy." Puck's voice had dropped several decibels, causing a shiver of want to snake down her body.

"Well, I'm sorry that I make it so _hard_ for you Noah." Rachel bit her lip when Puck's groan sounded in her ear.

"You are so mean to me!"

"You love it Noah, don't even try to say otherwise. But I really do have to go, so I'll talk to you later. Bye." Rachel quickly hung up the phone before he could say anything else in that sexy, husky voice that made her entire body turn into a pile of goo.

After her shower, which she had had to keep short to keep herself from thinking about Noah and what he might be doing, Rachel quickly dried off and got dressed for bed. If she spent an obscene amount of time getting to bed, she wasn't going to tell anyone, especially Noah. She was slightly disappointed though, since after the stars Puck had produced, her own hand just wasn't was good anymore. Damn. Monday could not come fast enough.

**AN: I know it's shorter than the others, but I just needed to get this done. I hope you guys liked it and I apologize for any mistakes. Please review! They make me super happy!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Wow guys, I am so sorry for the epic long delay! At first it was just because I was on a Sons of Anarchy binge, but then I couldn't get this chapter started! Like at all! And I kept thinking about what I want to happen in season 2, which is stupid since I haven't even gotten to Sectionals here! **

**And then my Word trial expired and I couldn't register it over the internet to save my life! But finally, I was able to borrow my sis's phone to make the call and now have Word back. Yay! **

**So, I don't make any promises, but I am going to try to keep my momentum, especially since I know exactly what I want to happen in season 2 and I will be really disappointed if I don't get to write it soon. And I also really want to write the Sectionals episode, so I need to get these last two episodes written ASAP!**

Shay: I am so so so so so sorry for the delay! This chapter has just kicked my ass! But I have no plans to abandon it, as I am completely submerged in my Puckleberry world that it's hard to concentrate on other things. Hehe. But I'm still really sorry it's taken so long, especially when I know you've been waiting for it! I hope you'll like this chapter!

Ashley: Sorry for the delay! I'm really glad you still like the story! I absolutely love Puckleberry too and have major issues with the writers of Glee! I mean, Finchel is just ridiculous if you ask me! Such a stupid pairing! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, especially since it took so long to get it posted!

**I am sorry again for the delay and I hope you like this chapter. Please REVIEW! Thanks! Also, you'll notice that the Hairography week is sped up from that on the show, but that's because I needed it that way. Also something that I needed to change for the story is Thanksgiving. In 2009, it was on the 26, but I've put it to the 22 for the story timeframe to make any sense to me. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not anything related to Glee! Any familiar quotes are familiar because they came from the show! I also do not own any songs used.**

Chapter 8: Becoming a Family

(Monday of "Hairography")

Rachel sighed in relief as she slid into the plastic chair, the fact that it was extremely uncomfortable not able to negate the joy she felt at being able to sit down. While she was ashamed of herself for skipping her Monday dance class after school, she could not bring herself to be mad at her kidnappers.

"You better wipe that look off your face B. People are goin' to think we're doin' somethin' naughty." Santana murmured as she sat across from the small girl. Rachel's eyes slowly rose to meet hers, an insulted look crossing her face.

"Well, if people think I would get up to such behavior inside a crowded mall, then there isn't really anything I can do to change that. People will think what they want, no matter what I say to deny such accusations." Rachel sighed before sitting up straighter in her seat, knowing that bad posture was not becoming of a dancer or a performer. But dang did her muscles just _ache_.

"I think I came in on the wrong end of this conversation. What accusations are you denying diva?" Kurt asked as he slowly sat down next to her, keeping a tight grip on his tray of food so as not to accidently spill it on his (very expensive) designer outfit. He was still finding it a little hard to believe that the two bitches of Glee, the two people who had continuously added to his miserable high school experience, had invited him and Mercedes out to a shopping trip. Even though he knew it was really to get answers out of Rachel, he still worried hell had frozen over.

"It's nothing Kurt, Santana was just trying to embarrass me." Rachel said before she began eating her vegetable stir-fry. The meal might not have been her first choice, as it was still unhealthy due to the sauce used, but being a vegan in a small town rarely left her with a range of options.

"Here Ray." Brittany said brightly as she pulled the large bottle of Advil out of her purse and handed it to her friend. Rachel didn't normally like taking medicine, but like mentioned earlier, her entire body was screaming for any type of relief and she was willing to take the suggested two tablets if it meant that relief would shortly arrive.

"Thanks Britt. I believe Coach was extremely vexed that I rejoined the Glee club." Rachel said as she handed the bottle back.

"_You think?_ I was even surprised with the paces she put you through, and I've been on the squad since last year." Santana said while Brittany nodded.

"Yeah, it was really unfair how she kept picking on you."

"It's fine, especially since I proved that I wouldn't back down or give into her. I just hope she will get tired of torturing me soon, because there's no way I can stay on the Cheerios of if she doesn't."

"Crazy said what?" Mercedes screeched as she leaned over Kurt to see Rachel.

"How many times do I have to explain that I am not mentally unstable? I am perfectly sane Mercedes."

"Whatever. Now why would you quit the Cheerios?" Santana spoke over Mercedes, who was mumbling her doubts about Rachel's claim.

"I simply mean that, with two dance classes and my vocal lessons, I cannot possible keep going at such a rate if Coach intends to make my life even harder."

"So you pick your lame classes over _Cheerios_?" Rachel rolled her eyes at the insulted tone of Santana's voice.

"San, if I'm going to make it to Broadway, I need all the training I can get. Why do you think I've been in dace and vocal lessons since I was a child? I don't actually like peeling the skin off my feet! Cheerleading was never part of my plans, so if something has to go, it's going to be that." Santana and Brittany just continued to stare at her, completely not understanding why anyone would pick _anything_ over being a Cheerio. It was crazy!

"But, Ray, if you're not a Cheerio, than…won't you miss us?" Brittany asked, her lower lip beginning to wobble. Rachel reached over the table to take the taller girl's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Britt, just because I would not be a Cheerio does not mean I would not still want to be your friend. I mean, I realize that if I ever do have to give it up that you might not _want_ to be my friend, but I'll always want to be yours." Rachel couldn't stop herself from glancing over at Santana.

"Oh! Of course Ray! We'll always be your friends!" Brittany said, giving Rachel's small hand an ecstatic jerk. Rachel smiled at her before removing her hand, not wanting to risk the excited girl doing more damage to her already hurting body. Santana sighed dramatically (must be hanging out with Berry too much!) before she nodded at Rachel, letting her know that the Latina would not abandon her. Rachel beamed at the two, amazed at how much different their relationship was now to the beginning of the year.

"Alright, enough mushy crap, let's get to the real reason we're all here. Rachel, you've been avoiding all our texts and calls for too long, and we're not letting you leave until you tell us _everything_ about your date with Puck." Mercedes said, glaring at the small girl to show her she meant business.

Rachel fidgeted with her straw, keeping her eyes focused on her plate. It was true, she couldn't pretend that she hadn't been avoiding this conversation. She had actually refused to answer any of their questions over the weekend and the school day, but Rachel had known that it would come to something like this.

It was just that that night with Puck had been amazing and it literally consumed her waking minutes over the weekend, so that once she was actually in the same room with him (or hallway) on Monday, she hadn't been able to keep her hands off him. Not that Puck had minded, like at all.

"It was a great night, like I've said. We went to dinner and then watched a movie at his place. As first dates go, it was pretty much perfect." Rachel said, hoping in vain that they would let it go. _That's like wishing Barbra would just waltz through a mall in Ohio just to meet you! Get a clue Berry._

"Please girl, you better start talking if you ever want to actually see your boy toy again." Mercedes said, giving the girl another glare. Santana nodded, giving a light kick to Rachel under the table, making sure the other girl knew they meant business.

"Why in the world are you guys so interested? It's not like Noah's and I's actions are any of your business." Rachel said firmly. Santana rolled her eyes.

"Well, we know you didn't lose your V-card, that's for sure." Santana replied. Rachel almost chocked on her food before she was able to swallow.

"Excuse me? How in the world would you be able to tell such a thing?"

"Please chica, you'd've 'least been limpin' today, even with a weekend to recover. Puck doesn't have a pencil dick, so you'd definitely be sore if he swiped that card." Santana knew her friend didn't like "vulgarity", but that just made it even funnier to the Latina.

"Santana! Must you always be so vile?" The Latina just gave Rachel a leer and the smaller girl could only shake her head.

"So just how well-endowed is Puck?" Kurt asked, his cheeks pink with the thought of Puck naked. Rachel gave the boy a light slap on the arm.

"Stop picturing my boyfriend naked Kurt! It's bad enough my two best friends have slept with him; I don't need you trying to put the moves on him too. Even though I can promise you, Noah would never switch teams."

Kurt blushed further before dropping his head, embarrassed at being called out. But that boy was the epitome of the male physical form, so it wasn't really a wonder that Kurt would fantasize about what he looked like under all those layers. Especially considering how handsome he looked for the date on Friday.

"Chillax Berry, Lady Lips isn't going to make a move on your man. But you really can't blame him, as Puck really is hot, even if that's almost all he has going for him." Santana said.

"San, please stop insulting Noah, it is making me upset." Rachel's voice was quiet, but everyone could see the anger that was beginning to bubble up in the pocket-size girl. They all clearly remembered the last time someone had seriously angered Rachel Berry, and no one wanted to get punched in the face.

"Guys, can I ask you a question since we're kinda on the topic?" Mercedes asked, signaling that they were to move on in the conversation.

"Sure 'Cedes, what's up?" Brittany asked, sharing a look with Santana, who looked a little sorry for upsetting Rachel. The black diva took a deep breath before she looked at the two cheerleaders across the table.

"Well…since the whole virginity thing was brought up, I was wondering how your first times were. Did it hurt as bad as they say it does?" Mercedes voice was extremely quiet, not wanting to draw the attention of anyone else in the food court.

"The whole "painful" thing really depends on your guy's size. Skinny and short is the best for the first time, since they won't really stretch you out that much and won't go too deep. But you're tearing a piece of yourself, so it's going to hurt." Santana answered.

"Oh…okay, I was just wondering. I've never really…had anyone to talk to about it or anything." Mercedes said, her cheeks darkening with a blush.

"Well, that's what girlfriends are for 'Cedes!" Brittany said with a smile, which caused the other girl to smile back.

"Speaking of, I would definitely try to _prepare_ yourself before the big night Rachel. I'm not trying to…it'll just hurt a lot for you because of Puck's…" Santana trailed off, dropping her eyes, not wanting to anger her friend again. She still couldn't believe that she, Santana 'Bitch' Lopez was trying to not hurt the feelings of Rachel 'Loser' Berry. Rachel looked up at Santana, a shot of guilt shooting through her at her previous anger.

"Thank you for the concern San, I really appreciate it. But, it won't be necessary." Everyone's eyes shot to the diva, the implication clear.

"Wait, what? You're not a virgin?" Kurt asked, his eyes wide with disbelief. I mean, who would have wanted to have sex with the number one target for slushing?

"As I believe it is very important for a friendship to succeed for everyone to be honest, even though I still do not feel comfortable with this topic of discussion, yes Kurt, I am not a virgin."

"But I thought you and Puck didn't have sex?" Brittany said, the confusion very clear on her pretty face. Rachel shifted in her seat, not sure why she had even allowed this conversation to continue, as it was clear that she would not be getting out of it.

"Noah and I did not have sex on or since our date. As hard as it must be to comprehend, but I have had interested suitors before this year."

"_Who_? Who got to pop the Berry Cherry?" Santana almost shrieked, drawing the attention of several passing people. Rachel kicked her sharply under the table, not believing Santana would say something so loud.

"I cannot believe you just said that San! Do not _ever_ call it that again!" When Rachel made a move to kick the Latina again, Santana was quick to hold up her hands in a surrender pose before she scooted her chair back from the table, hoping there was more distance between her and the little terror's feet.

"Sorry, sorry, my bad chica. But really, who?"

"Do we really have to talk about this? It's not that unusual for a sophomore not to be a virgin anymore. I mean, you and Britt are definitely not, so why is it so hard to believe that I am no longer one?"

"Cuz B, you're like super scary crazy. I thought you'd be too obsessed with reaching Broadway to have time for sex." Rachel rolled her eyes before she took a hand wipe out of her purse. She still couldn't really believe she was in this situation! A month and a half ago, Rachel didn't even have friends, and now she was surrounded by four people wanting to know about her sex life. And they call her crazy!

"That sentence is very offensive to me, as I am not mentally impaired, as you well know. And while my drive for my dreams has never once wavered, I am also a teenage girl and have the same urges that you do. I am not 'frigid' as many have claimed. Besides, how am I going to accurately portray a love scene during a performance if I have nothing to draw upon?" The others just stared at her, so Rachel stood to dump her tray.

Once she had reseated herself, it was clear that the others had had a quick discussion, as Mercedes was the one who picked up the questioning.

"Sorry Rachel, we shouldn't have assumed. So, how was it?" Rachel sighed at Mercedes's question, resigning herself to answer their questions with enough information to appease them.

"It was a boy from the summer camp I attended before eighth grade." The shocked looks they gave her caused her face to flush in embarrassment.

"Really? But that would have made you…" Brittany trailed off, trying, and failing, to do the math in her head.

"Thirteen." Santana murmured, her eyes wide with disbelief. Rachel fidgeted with her hands, fighting the urge to run away.

"Twelve actually." Rachel's voice was almost too quiet to hear as she corrected Santana, which just caused another round of shocked faces.

"You were _twelve_?" Kurt's voice had gone high pitch, not believing Rachel would have really given it up at such a young age. She was practically still a child!

"Yes Kurt I was twelve, as I didn't turn thirteen until December." Rachel's voice was sharp, indicating how uncomfortable she was.

"Wow girl, I…why?" Mercedes asked quietly. Rachel lifted her shoulders in a shrug.

"It just seemed like the thing to do at the time, which I realize is ridiculous. I mean, we had barely even started puberty, so it wasn't that great. But we were kids and made a mistake, end of story."

"Who was it Ray?" Brittany asked, leaning her face on her hand as she stared at the small girl with wonder. It wasn't every day you learn that Rachel Berry had given up her V-card before Santana or Brittany had!

"Just a boy from camp. Okay, this discussion is over now." Rachel said, refusing to give a name.

"Right…so what'd you all think of the juvie girls?" Santana asked, not wanting to upset Rachel again. She didn't think her shins could take another kick from the surprisingly strong midget.

"They looked really good and I'm a little worried, to be honest." Mercedes said. Rachel let out a noise of irritation, which brought the four pairs of eyes back to her.

"They were completely ludicrous! The fact that their parlor trick has got not only you, but Mr. Schuester worried is very irritating and insulting!" The others shared a confused look, not sure why Rachel had suddenly gotten so mad.

"You have to admit that they looked good Rachel." Kurt murmured, not really sure if his comment would be punished or not. Ever since the smaller diva had quit Glee, she apparently had lost any ability to bottle up her anger, and he really didn't want her to injure his person.

"They absolutely did not look _good_! They were tricking us into focusing on their hair instead of their actual vocals and steps. I said as much to Mr. Schuester, but I could tell he was worried. I cannot believe that he actually thinks we don't have enough talent to outshine a team using _Hairography_ of all things!" Kurt leaned away from the spitfire, really wanting to avoid being hit.

"Hairography?" Santana asked, not having a clue what Rachel was talking about.

"Oooo, I know what that is! It's like spazing around so your hair whips around a lot!" Brittany said excitedly, bouncing in her seat. She was so happy to actually know what they were talking about!

"Yes Britt that is what Hairography is. It's just a way to get the audience to be distracted by the whizzing of hair to actually see that the team doesn't have very strong footwork or vocals."

"Man, so Mr. Schuester really doesn't think we could beat that?" Mercedes asked, the hurt clear in her voice.

"Well, I don't know for sure, but he looked uncertain when I left the auditorium. I just really hope that he doesn't actually make us do such a number, as I think it would look absurd and the judges would not take us seriously. Sometimes I question Mr. Schuester's qualifications for running a Glee club."

"Wait, you don't think he should be running it?" Kurt asked, a scandalized look morphing on his face.

"Don't get me wrong, I think some of Mr. Schuester's lessons have been very important, like the one about team spirit with the wheelchairs. But…well, to be perfectly honest, he doesn't really seem to know what he's doing. Don't you think it's strange that we haven't even come up with our set list for Sectionals? Most other choir and glee groups have been working on their numbers for weeks, so that they are perfected by performance day. But Sectionals are only a couple of weeks away and we don't even have a set list, let alone choreography blocked out.

"I just think that Mr. Schuester isn't properly prepared to be running such a club. Especially considering we don't do enough voice warm-ups, which can result in the damaging of vocal cords. I'm actually surprised that no one has had such a problem before now. I mean, that's the reason I arrive early for rehearsal, as I am not willing to actually risk damaging my voice just because the director doesn't think it's important to warm-up properly. I mean, singing is just like sports! You must first stretch and warm up your muscles before jumping into a game or practice, as not doing so will result in you straining those muscles and risking injury!

"And then he has the audacity to think we don't possess enough talent to beat a bunch of juvie girls! What type of director thinks that? He's supposed to support us and encourage us to be the best we can be, but Mr. Schuester is so caught up with his personal life that he doesn't even see the amazing talents that Glee has. And he never actually acts like a teacher! Arg!" Rachel huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the table top. The others' mouths all hung open, completely overwhelmed with her rant. The fact that she had said all that in only two or three breaths was amazing and _scary_!

"Um…okay, I believe you Ray. Mr. Schue is a butthead." Brittany said hesitantly, not sure what to say in response. The others didn't seem to be forthcoming with words, so Brittany figured she should break the silence. Rachel gave her a small smile.

"Sorry guys, I didn't mean to rant. I've just been bottling all that up and just needed to let it out." The others slowly nodded, their minds still trying to catch up. Brittany looked around before giving Rachel a smile and shrugging before she brought up the upcoming football game.

Rachel sighed in relief as the conversation quickly turned, a little embarrassed by her outburst. The five spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out, moving from the mall to Kurt's house. By the end of the day, all five were shocked to realize that they were actually _friends_, or at least on a much more friendly basis than any other them had ever imagined they would be.

/*/

(Tuesday of "Hairography" Week)

Rachel glared daggers as Mr. Schuester threw the bag of wigs at Finn. She couldn't believe that he had seriously gotten the guys wigs to do a freaking Hairography number! She shot out of seat, marching over to the curly haired director.

"Mr. Schue what are you doing we are fine just the way we are. We don't need Hairography. It is just a distraction."

"Look I have to be honest those Jane Adams' girls did freak me out a little and I'm worried about our chances for sectionals. I mean we have to pull out all the stops if we wanna win." Rachel wanted to stomp her foot and yell at the imbecile. She just knew he doubted them!

Turning away from him in disgust, Rachel was pleased to see the hurt and angry looks on Santana's, Brittany's, Kurt's, and Mercedes's faces, yesterday's discussion fresh on their minds. It was clear that Rachel's worries had been justified and they began to question their director's decisions.

"If you want to get anywhere near my person in the near future, you will not wear that preposterous wig anywhere but here Noah Puckerman." Rachel whispered harshly as she sat next to her stupid looking boyfriend. Puck's eyes widened in surprise before he quickly pulled the itchy hair off, not wanting to even risk it.

Mike, who was sitting diagonally behind Puck, let out a chuckle as he kicked Puck's chair, the thought of Puck being whipped very amusing. Puck turned to glare at the Asian, but he had to admit that he wasn't going to wear a stupid wig if his girl didn't want him to. Not when she was threatening on not letting him touch her banging body! He wasn't that stupid, despite what others would say.

Rachel glanced back at Mike, a brow arched, causing the lanky boy to blush and look away. He did not want to be on the receiving end of one of the famous Rachel Berry speeches, so he quickly moved away from the two, making his way to the front of the room, where the others were gathering.

"You don't think I can pull this look off babe? Are you questioning my badassness?" Puck asked, running a large hand down her bare thigh. Rachel sighed, her mind flashing back to Friday before she had to force herself to focus.

"You know I think you're the biggest "badass" Noah. I just can't believe Mr. Schue would actually have such little faith in us. You mark my words Noah, this is going to blow up in his face." Rachel said before she stood, grabbing his hand to join the rest. As they all lined up in the front of the room to watch Brittany demonstrate just how to whip their hair, Puck raised their clasped hands to his lips, lightly biting her knuckles before pressing a kiss to them. Rachel glanced at him, shocked by the very endearing and loving gesture, but Puck was looking forward, watching as Brittany spazed around.

Rachel leaned into his side, delighted when he dropped her hand to wrap his arm around her waist. Mr. Schuester might be the bane of her existence at the moment, but Puck was definitely making it bearable.

"Alright everyone, I want all of you to practice hard on this. We need to be prepared by Thursday, as the Haverbrook Deaf Choir will be here to see our performance. We're doing a mash-up of "Crazy in Love" and "Hair". Now let's run through the choreography." Rachel groaned with her fellow clubbers at Mr. Schue's words, shocked and dismayed at how little time they had to practice. _This proves that he really doesn't know what he's doing. I just hope he learns from this._

/*/

Puck glanced down at the two sleep girls in his arms, still a little confused as to just how they got there. After the god awful practice at Hairography, Rachel had demanded that they practice, since she would never allow her performance to suffer just because she did not agree with it.

So, Puck and Eli had found themselves on the Berry front porch, with a freaking loaf of Challah! Puck had rolled his eyes at his mother, but Leah had insisted, and Puck just knew she was already planning the wedding, despite the fact that Rachel and him had only been together for a little over a month.

And when Eli had demanded to see the performance, he hadn't been able to get the brat to stop laughing, which propelled Rachel into a long winded rant about Mr. Schuester's idiocy. Puck had tried, and failed, to calm both females down, but after the fifth slap on the arm, he had left the basement to watch TV, not even wanting to be in the damn middle anymore.

Rachel and Eli had both followed shortly afterward, sheepish looks on their faces as they apologized. Puck had simply shrugged and demanded Eli go into the kitchen so he could mack on his girl, which Eli had said was gross before fleeing the room, not wanting to see them exchange spit. Rachel rolled her eyes at him before allowing him to pull her across his lap for a few minutes.

Once the Berry dads had come home, delighted to see both Puck and Eli, the five had had dinner before sitting down in the living room to watch a movie. Puck had been positioned between the two girls, which he thought was payback from Eli for the earlier make out sessions, and they had both fallen asleep partway through the movie.

Puck looked to his right, his sister's dark head slumped against his shoulder, be he lightly lifted his shoulder up and down, trying to wake her without waking Rachel. Eli gave an irritated sound before she lifted her head, glaring at him. Puck nodded towards the clock, which showed it was clearly past her normal bedtime and that she should get ready to go.

Eli pouted for a moment before she nodded and rose to grab her coat and thank Hiram and Leroy for allowing her over and providing dinner. The two Berry men, who had moved to the kitchen, smiled and hugged the little girl, both feeling the pang of missing having a younger child.

Puck slowly eased out from under Rachel, pulling the blanket from the back of the couch to cover her. He couldn't believe how damn mushy he was being, but Puck leaned down and lightly kissed Rachel's forehead before he exited the living room. He heard his sis's voice coming from the kitchen, so he followed it to collect her so they could get home.

"C'mon Eli, we need to go. Thanks Mr. Berry and Mr. Berry. We really had a good time." Puck said, not believing he was actually thanking his _girlfriend's dads_ for anything. But since they had started dating, Puck was surprised that the Berry men had been more than welcoming to him, even though they knew about the whole Quinn thing. It made him wish that his deadbeat dad had been like them.

"Of course Noah! You know you're welcome here anytime! We were just telling Eli that we've accepted your mother's invitation to Thanksgiving dinner. We would have offered, but seeing as we're on a vegan diet, we didn't want to hinder the options and we'll bring our own selections." Hiram said rapidly, making it clear just where Rachel got her speech style from.

"Oh…sure that sounds great. We'll see you on Sunday then." Puck said a little uncertainly before waving and pulling Eli out of the house. While it was very common for the Puckermans and the Berrys to share holiday dinners, Puck knew this was just another nail on Rachel's and his coffin. Lea Puckerman would stop at nothing to make sure the two married, and Puck was a little worried about just what the future would hold with his bat-shit crazy mother's hand at the wheel.

/*/

(Wednesday of "Hairography" Week)

"Mornin' babe. Lookin' hot." Rachel nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Puck's voice. She spun around, gasping for breath dramatically. Puck smirked down at her before he captured her lips, quickly invading her mouth, his tongue seeking hers. Rachel let out a little moan, which caused Puck to push against her until she was flat against her (open) locker, his hands sliding up and down her sides.

"I feel like we've been surrounded by people for days." Puck murmured as he lowered his head to suck on the sensitive skin of her neck. Rachel sighed and let her head fall back, thankfully landing inside the open locker instead of against the hard metal.

"I know. It's like we've not been alone for days." Rachel said quietly as Puck continued to suck and bite at her neck. She knew he was probably going to leave a mark, but at that moment in time, she didn't care. Rachel skimmed her hands up his arms, gripping the material in her fists.

When Puck's hands began to wander south, Rachel had to pull away, giving a sigh of regret. Puck quirked a brow at her, not sure if she was turning him down or just wanted to go get a more secluded spot. _Please be the second!_

"What's wrong baby?" Puck asked, his voice husky as he lightly ran his hands back up her body. Rachel gave a shiver, so he knew that she was as affected by him as he was about her. What? That was so totally badass! You'd have some serious issues if the girl you were trying to sex up did find you hot; just saying.

"I'm sorry Noah; I've really missed you and _this_, but we can't do it anymore. At least not for a while." Puck's face fell and Rachel had to stop herself from either laughing or planting her lips on his. He really looked like a boy who was being denied the use of his favorite toy. Wait, what? Rachel Berry was no one's toy!

"Ah why babe? Did I…did I do something." Puck whispered, not wanting the few people mingling in the hallway to hear him when he sounded like such a fucking pansy. Seriously, he was actually pouting. POUTING! Like a damn pussy whipped fucktard!

"Of course not Noah, you've been nothing but an exceptional boyfriend. Which, is actually very surprising given your history, but I'm thrilled that I seem to be able to hold your full attention."

Puck felt anger begin to course through him at the mention of history. Sure, he was a sex shark, everyone knew it. But he hadn't even been sexting Santana for the entire time he'd been with Rachel! Doesn't she know how hard it was to resist her sexts? Rachel cut him off before he could even open his mouth.

"The reason we can't do anything doesn't have anything to do with you Noah. It's just…not a good _time._" Rachel made sure to stress the last word, trying to convey her message without having to actually having to come out and say it. Thankfully, Puck had been with enough girls to be able to catch onto what she was trying to say.

"Oh, okay that's cool then. Can we still make out?" He asked hopefully, giving her his best 'smolder'. Rachel gave a small giggle at his look, but she couldn't deny that the intensity in his (beautiful) eyes did things to her that was very inconvenient at the moment.

"Well…since you did get here so early, as long as you've done all your homework, I don't see why we can't spend some quality time in a janitor's closet." Rachel said quietly, biting her bottom lip lightly, which succeeded in drawing his attention down.

"Hmm mmm, all done. Now c'mon." Puck tried to pull her away from her locker, but Rachel reached behind her and gripped the metal, not willing to move. Puck gave her a confused and frustrated face.

"Is all your homework _really_ done Noah? Because you know I refuse to get in the way of your actually succeeding in your classes, no matter how much I might want to." Puck rolled his eyes.

"Ya ya B, it's _all_ done. I haven't had much to keep me occupied since I didn't see you this weekend. I actually did most of the fucking shit for the whole week." Puck said, the irritation clear. He still couldn't believe that on a freaking Saturday he had pulled out the books! Sure, he had totally murdered Mike and Finn in Halo, but he had still fucking done _homework_. He was fucking pussy whipped.

Rachel disregarded his profanity, knowing that he did it a lot just to get on her nerves. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled his mouth down to hers, showing how much she appreciated him actually taking his studies seriously. Puck slid his arms around her waist, pulling her tight against him as he devoured her mouth.

"Jeez can't you two stop mauling each other in the hallway? I think I'm actually about to gauge my eyes out." Kurt's voice sounded from next to them, causing Rachel to pull away much to Puck's annoyance.

"Good morning to you too Kurt. How are you this fine—" Rachel was cut off as Puck began to drag her away. She glanced back at the taller boy, an apologetic look on her face as he just shook his head and closed her locker before prancing down the hallway.

"That was incredibly rude Noah."

"He was cutting into our time." That was all Puck said as he pushed the short girl into a closet before reattaching their lips. Rachel gave an exacerbated huff but quickly focused completely on her boyfriend. Because, really, Noah could make her see stars and Rachel wasn't willing to let Kurt Hummel get in her way of those precious, shimmering stars.

/*/

To say Rachel was relieved to be invited over to Puck's place after dace class was an understatement. She knew that if she had been left alone after the…disgrace that was that day's Glee rehearsal, she knew she would probably have gone mad. Seriously, it had been a several hours and she was still fuming about it.

Thankfully, she had been able to be distracted by Puck's sister, Eli, who literally worshiped Rachel Berry. Eli wanted to be just like Rachel when she grew up, with the amazing talent and the stunning looks! Puck had just resigned himself to not getting any make out time with his girl, because she was currently seated at his dining room table, helping Eli with her homework. He fucking _hated_ homework!

The three of them ate dinner (Puck had actually looked up a recipe for vegan lasagna, which had earned him a heated session in the kitchen when Eli went to take a bath) and then Rachel helped Puck cleanup the kitchen. She was pleasantly surprised when he started making Eli's lunch, further proving Rachel's opinion that he was really a nice person hiding behind a "badass" persona. Not that she would _ever_ tell him that!

Eli had begged Rachel to stay and watch a movie, but she had to regrettably decline because it was getting late and she needed to get home. When the young girl had continued to pout, Rachel had agreed to tuck her by song, much to Eli's excitement. Puck had been pulled into the god-awful 'princess' themed room to accompany her on the guitar, but he went without too much complaining, since he hoped Eli would actually go to sleep.

After the third song, Puck had declared it time for bed and pulled Rachel out of the room, much to Eli's despair. But Rachel had promised to visit again soon, so the ten year old had given up her quest and snuggled down.

"Thanks for being so good with her babe. I know she is annoying." Puck said as he led Rachel downstairs.

"She's a doll Noah so it was a pleasure. Besides, any time I get with you is worth it." Rachel murmured quietly before she pulled his head down to hers, their brief session in the kitchen hardly enough to satisfy her. Unfortunately, she did actually have to get home, so the two parted ways soon after.

/*/

(Thursday of "Hairography" Week)

Rachel had been absolutely, 100% positive in her belief that the stupid Hairography number would be a bust. She was so ashamed of Mr. Schuester for making them look like fools in front of the competition, no matter the fact that they were deaf. Obviously, they were already have a leg up with the sympathy votes, so New Directions really did not need to be giving them any more ammunition.

She sent a withering look at Mr. Schue as she apologized as best she could to the other team. They had done a heartbreaking version of "Imagine" and Rachel could already see the crowd at Sectionals being moved by it. _This is just great! Our director doesn't believe in us and now the competition has proven that they can sway the audience to their side. This is absolutely perfect!_

Once the Haverbrook glee club departed, the choir room was utterly silent. Rachel shared a look with her friends, seeing the hurt and anger marring their faces. Apparently they agreed with her earlier assessment, as they all gave her subtle nods before they began to depart. Mr. Schuester just sat at the desk, completely engrossed in his self-pity to even notice his students. _Serves him right, making us embarrass ourselves. Let's just hope he learned something._

Rachel quickly stood as well, wanting to get out of the suddenly stifling room. Puck wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they left the room, the other football players and Cheerios either ahead or behind them. Rachel was actually looking forward to the strenuous practice to work off some of her anger and stress.

"Are we doing something after practice?" Puck asked as they stopped in front of the Cheerio locker room. Yeah, they seriously had their own locker room because Sylvester wouldn't let her girls "be within 50 feet of the hideous shemales in the girls' locker room".

"Sorry Noah, but Brit and San want me to come over. I think we're going to try and cheer Quinn up, since they said something about her being there. Rain check?" Puck nodded before leaning down to capture her lips. If he wasn't going to be able to do that until tomorrow, he needed to make it count.

Rachel sighed dreamily when he pulled away, her eyes glazed over as she stared up at him. He smirked down at her, loving the affect he had on her, before he slowly started backing away, already missing the heat of her body. Shut the fuck up, she was HOT! Rachel watched as he sauntered further down the hallway before she was unceremoniously pulled into the room by Santana.

/*/

(Friday of "Hairography" Week)

The school was buzzing with excitement about that night's football game. They were hopeful that the Titans would be able to bring home another win, especially since the lady fabulous kicker had rejoined after the damn ultimatum.

There had been serious fear that he wouldn't, as the football team wasn't that welcoming, but Kurt Hummel had proved he didn't give two shits to what the Neanderthals thought. And he really liked seeing certain team members in those tight pants.

Rachel, on the other hand, was extremely nervous, as this would be her first football game as a Cheerio. She hadn't been included in the game two weeks ago, as Coach hadn't thought she was ready yet. She feared that she would get out there and forget the lyrics or steps, which logically she knew was ridiculous since it was merely another performance and she knew she was good. But sometimes, logic just doesn't factor into things. But first thing first, Glee.

/*/

"We should so skip Glee today babe. Its game day and I'm sure we're not doing anythin' important." Puck whispered huskily into Rachel's ear, causing her to have to fight down a moan. They had just left Biology class and were making their way to the choir room when Puck swung her into a nearby janitor's closet for some personal time.

"NOAH! I cannot believe you would even suggest such a…preposterous proposal as to miss GLEE club! While I might not agree with Mr. Schuester's recent teachings, we must prepare for Sectionals! We only have a couple of weeks and we've already wasted so much time, we cannot afford to miss a rehearsal." Puck groaned into her neck at her response, which made Rachel's lips twitch up. She knew he was actually pouting like a child and simply kept his head down so she couldn't see his expression.

"Fine. But when you can't keep your hands off me later, don't get mad at me." Rachel bit back a giggle at his words, lightly running her hands up the back of his Mohawk, letting her fingernails give a light scratch. She didn't remember exactly when she started giggling, as she had always viewed such actions as childish, but between gaining real friends and a boyfriend, she couldn't seem to stop the noise from bubbling up in her throat. And she was surprised with how much she actually didn't mind it anymore.

"I'll be sure to remember that after the game Noah. But right now we need to get to rehearsal or we're going to be late. And you know how I feel about being tardy."

"I'm not lettin' you out till you kiss me." Puck said, lifting his head from her neck to give her a smirk. Rachel rolled her eyes at him before leaning in, pressing her lips lightly against his. But when she tried to pull away, Puck wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him, giving a small bite to her lower lips so she would open her mouth.

Rachel thought about fighting him, really she did. But…well you be alone in a supply closet with Noah Puckerman ravaging your mouth and you see if your will would be strong enough. Because Rachel Berry's? So not able to withstand the prowess of Noah Puckerman. Not even a little bit.

/*/

"Okay, let's get started. Wait, where's Rachel and Puck?" Mr. Schue asked when he looked up from the sheet music in his hands and noticed his star and the resident trouble maker were missing. Even after a month, he still couldn't wrap his brain around the good-girl Rachel Berry dating the bad-boy Noah Puckerman. _Although, it's the must clichéd high school story, so I really shouldn't be surprised._

"I'm sure they'll be here soon, since we had Biology together. I'm sure they just got…distracted." Santana said, smirking at what she thought the two lovebirds must be getting up to. Brittany giggled and leaned her head on Mike's shoulder, everyone in the room (even Mr. S) knowing that the two could hardly get through a song without touching at least twice. Before Mr. Schuester could respond, the two missing students came crashing through the door, their faces flushed and clothes askew.

"I am so sorry we're late Mr. Schue. We were…I had to go to my locker, which is on the complete other side of campus." Rachel said, smoothing down her Cheerio skirt as she attempted to look like she hadn't just been mauling her boyfriend. Puck just smirked and grabbed her hand, pulling her over to some empty seats. Mr. Schue just gave them a disapproving look before turning back to the class.

"I realize that this last week has really been a step back for us. I…well I got caught up in the aspect of "Show Biz" and didn't stop to see that it wasn't what you guys are about. I ignored someone who told me that you guys were too good to use such a tactic, and I let my fear cloud my judgment. So, we're going back to basics, starting from scratch. So grab a stool and make your way to the auditorium." Mr. Schuester said as he passed out the sheet music, sharing a look with Rachel, letting her know that he was sorry for ignoring her.

"So we're a stool choir now?" Artie asked with hesitation, not understanding how that could possibly be better off than Hairography.

"Nope, we're not dancing with the stools. No gimmicks, no false theatricality. We're just going to sit in them and sing." Rachel glanced down at the sheet music, grinning when she recognized the title.

"Thanks Mr. Schuester." Rachel said, earning a nod and finger flick from the director. Everyone quickly stood and began to grab stools and the set out outfits that Mr. Schue had provided. Rachel looked at the stack of stools and looked over at Artie, who had a pained expression on his face. It was quite apparent that he wished he could do something as simple as sitting in a stool with everyone else. Puck glanced between her and Artie, catching onto her thought.

"I got this babe." Puck said as he lifted a stack of three stools, since everyone else had already made their way out of the room. Rachel gave him a blazing smile before leaning up to peck him on the cheek before walking over to Artie. The two watched as Puck moved out of the room, his tones arms giving the slightest of bulges, as the stools weren't very heavy.

"Hey Artie, how are you doing?" Rachel asked quietly. The boy shrugged, uncomfortable with the fact that Rachel had apparently been able to read his earlier thoughts. It's just…people who were not stuck in a damn wheelchair took everything for granted, even the ability to sit in a freaking stool.

"I'm cool Rachel, just grabbing my stuff." Artie lifted his bag as if to prove his point. Rachel had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, because really, all boys were the exact same. They hated to show even the slightest bit of vulnerability.

"Okay then, let's go." Rachel said, stepping behind his chair and beginning to push him towards the auditorium. Artie contemplated telling her that he was perfectly capable of wheeling himself wherever he wanted, but this was Rachel Berry, and she didn't stop until she got the results she wanted. So he figured it was probably safer for his person, both mentally and physically, if he just kept quiet and let her have her way.

Rachel silently thanked the moment of charity Ms. Sylvester experienced a few weeks ago, because it was so much easier getting Artie up onto the stage now that there were wheelchair ramps. _And it was about time too! Handicapable people are just as able to perform in the Arts as everyone else, and to deny them that access by refusing to install ramps was just wrong! Come to think of it, she should really talk to Artie about seeing if he wanted his parents to sue the school for such neglect, as she was sure her dad could win that case. Thoughts for another time Berry._

She pushed him over to the side of the stage and back around to the changing rooms. She gave Artie a last smile before ducking into the girls' room, quickly changing into her jeans, purple shirt and converse. She laid out her uniform next to the other girls', which were all laid out flat on a table, as there weren't any hanger available. She just hoped that they didn't get wrinkled or Coach was going to go nuts on them, like seriously crazy!

She exited the room just as some of the guys did, including Puck and Artie. Her boyfriend (she never tired of calling him that) gave a subtle nod, letting her know that he had taken care of it. Linking arms with the hunky footballer, Rachel couldn't keep the smile off her face as they made their way to the stage. She was glad that everyone seemed to know where they were sitting already, as most everyone was already dressed and on their stools, reading through the song.

Artie came to a stop at one end of the semi-circle, resigning himself to the fact that he would never truly be one of them. He knew that his friends didn't see him any less because of his situation, but it was still difficult to live with. He was pulled out of his thoughts when his wheelchair was pushed forward towards the other end of the semi-circle.

"You're sitting over here Wheels." Puck's gruff voice sounded from behind him, making Artie jump a little before he nodded. But before he could move his chair into position, the locks were thrown down on the tires, making him jerk forward a little. Artie was sure he would have come out of the seat if it wasn't for the little hand the hand onto his shoulder, keeping him in place.

"What's going on?" Artie asked as he looked back to see Rachel and Puck share a look before Rachel gave him a small, pretty smile. He was dumbstruck for a minute, as he had never seen such a soft expression on "Crazy Berry" before; but he was quickly forcible removed from his thoughts when Puck reached under him and pulled him up.

"What are you doing?" Artie asked, his arms flailing for a moment before gripping Puck's broad shoulders, the fear of falling outweighing his anger at being manhandled.

"Chillax Wheels. Berry wants you to be part of this little sing along, so you're going to be. Get over it." Puck said as he lightly placed the dude on the last stool. Artie's eyes were wide as he continued to grip Puck's shoulders, not sure if he was being Punk'd or not. Rachel grinned again and sat down next to him, taking his left hand off Puck's shoulder to give it a light squeeze.

"Will you be able to stay upright?" She asked quietly, pleased that Puck hadn't fully released the teen yet. He might claim to be a "badass" and womanizer, but she could tell that Noah was beginning to make more frequent appearances. The fact that he had done this without more than a shrug made her heart swell with emotion.

"Um…yeah, I think so. As long as I don't have to move too much." Artie's voice shook a little, making it clear that he was overwhelmed. He couldn't believe that either one of them would do such a thing for him, someone who hadn't been their friend only a couple of weeks ago.

"Don't worry Artie, I won't let you fall." Rachel whispered and squeezed his hand, delighted when he returned the gesture.

"You're sure you've got this?" Puck asked. Artie gave a nod and Puck slowly backed away, giving enough room for Artie to test out his position, but close enough to catch him if he did end up falling. The boy's back quivered a little, but Artie gripped the underside of the stool with his right hand and Rachel's with his other, determined to make it through this song.

"I've got this. Thank you Puck, Rachel. This…" Artie trailed off, not really comfortable with exposing how extraordinary their actions made him feel. For maybe the first time, he felt like he had people he could count on, no matter what. And the irony that one of those people used to lock him in porta potties was not lost on him.

Puck gave a nod before sitting to Rachel's left, cringing a little when he noticed the amazed looks on everyone's faces. Everyone was staring at the three as if they had just cured cancer or something. Puck groaned quietly, knowing that his badass points had just suffered a major setback, but he couldn't bring himself to care too much.

He would _never_ admit it to anyone, not even Rachel, but he had begun to feel guilty about the way he used to treat the Gleeks, and he hoped that this act showed he was sorry for almost flipping Artie in a porta potty. Come to find out, even though he couldn't walk, the dude was seriously awesome and could keep up with him on jamming sessions.

"Can we get this shit done sometime today? We do have a game to get ready for." Puck barked out, making the others jump out of their staring. They all gave sheepish looks before giving thumbs up and smiles to Artie, glad that he was feeling included. Rachel grabbed Puck's hand and smiled at him, not even caring about the cussing after his caring actions towards Artie. She kept a hold of both the boys' hands, laying them lightly in her lap as Tina finally began to sing.

As the song progressed, Rachel couldn't stop marveling at the changes that the Glee club members had undergone, how everyone's colors were beginning to shine through. She felt like the club was finally coming together as a united team, one that would have the backs of all its members, no matter what. She gave Puck's hand another squeeze before nodding her head towards Santana, indicating she wanted him to take the Latina's hand.

Puck rolled his eyes at his crazy girl before shrugging and reaching out, taking Santana's hand in his. The dark haired girl's eyes widened in shock, but before she could start yelling and mess up the song, Puck indicated back to Rachel, who held up the two hands in her grasp. Santana and Puck shared a look, clearly understanding that Rachel Berry was definitely crazy, but they loved that about her, so Santana took Mike's hand with a small smile. But the end of the song, the entire group was linked, and Rachel had to fight down the tears that threatened to fall.

"Wow guys, that was…very inspiring. I'm glad we were able to get back to _us_ and I'm very proud of all of you. Have a good Thanksgiving and I'll see you on Tuesday." Mr. Schuester said into the microphone from the seats. He was truly awed by his club, especially with what Puck and Rachel had done for Artie.

Puck placed Artie back in his chair as everyone began to make their way backstage, most of them needing to get either back in uniform or to the locker room. He fist bumped the other dude before he wheeled away and Puck turned to see Rachel smiling at them.

"Thank you so much Noah, that was very sweet of you." Rachel said, circling his neck with her arms. Puck grumbled something about being badass but Rachel was already pressing their lips together, too overcome with emotion to keep away from him. The two stood there, center stage, and reveled in each other.

(Seating: Artie, Rachel, Puck, Santana, Mike, Tina, Matt, Brittany, Finn, Quinn, Kurt, Mercedes)

/*/

Once on the sidelines, the gooey feelings she had felt in the auditorium were long gone and Rachel had to will herself not to run back inside the school building. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous, but the fluttering of her stomach would not be denied or squelched. Rachel really did not want to make a fool of herself in front of most of the school, the opponent's supporters, her teammates, and Noah.

Thankfully, with the new found friendships that Rachel had formed, Santana, Brittany and even Quinn were able to calm her down enough so that she could actually pay attention to the game and perform the correct cheers. She was a little embarrassed with how loudly she cheered when they called Noah's name, but she couldn't help it. Besides, have you seen that boy in those pants? De-li-cious!

"You know I have absolutely no idea what in the world is going on. I tried to Google football, but I did not seem to pick up the rules of the game." Rachel said quietly to Santana, who was standing next to her, shaking her pompoms.

"Don't sweat it B. We're in red, and we want to make touchdowns to the opposite side of the field. We don't want to let the other team, the one in blue, get past our guys and into our side, since they risk the chance of scoring a touchdown. That's pretty much it. Just cheer with us and you'll get into the game quickly." Rachel nodded, having to trust that Santana knew what she was talking about. She had been a cheerleader most of her life, so she would definitely know more about it than some of the other Cheerios.

Santana was so right! By the fifteen minute mark, Rachel was hollering at the top of her lungs, which she knew she would regret in the morning. But her blood was pounding through her veins and Rachel couldn't stop her excited cheers. Santana explained that Puck was a wide receiver, which was why he was constantly attempting to catch passes from Finn, the quarterback.

Rachel just nodded and continued to cheer, more interested in watching Puck run down the field than which position he played, despite the fact that it had been fifteen minutes and the quarter (which was supposed to be 12 minutes) wasn't over yet, which Rachel thought was a little insensitive to people on a time schedule.

But then it was halftime and they had to do an intricate routine with Rachel singing "Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship, and Rachel didn't have time to be nervous anymore or think about proper time management. She was even able to sneak in a pee break, which Rachel thought was amazing, as Coach seemed to think they all had bladders of steel.

For Puck's part, he had been keenly aware of Rachel when he was on the field. It was like an electric shock went through him every time he saw her in that damn uniform. She was just so fucking hot bouncing around waving her pompoms that at first, Puck had difficulty paying attention to the game. But when he heard her actually cheer his name, Puck actually felt…well warm all over, which wasn't unbadass.

It was just…he'd never had anyone there rooting just for him since his mom always had to work and he didn't do the whole 'girlfriend' thing. So having her there made him want to prove that he wasn't a Lima Loser, so shut the fuck up already! He was still a badass, no matter what Rachel Berry's presence made he feel. Damn it!

But as it turned out, he was able to prove his super badassness as he scored four touchdowns during the game, which was amazing for the McKinley Titans, who had only won the last game by one point. So add his scores with that of their kicker, Kurt, and the couple of other touchdowns made, and McKinley High won another football game! To say the stands erupted in a frenzy would be an understatement.

The best part of the whole game for Puck, however, wasn't winning the game. No, it was being able to walk over to Rachel and have her fling herself at him, claiming his mouth with hers. Take that Finn Hudson! You're not the only one with a hot as fuck cheerleader girlfriend anymore. And maybe Puck spun her around to hear her excited squeal, but he was entitled since he just kicked ass.

"I'm so proud of you Noah! You were amazing! I never knew you had to run so much! No wonder you have such a great body." Rachel said, so caught up in the moment that she didn't even realize that she was not only stroking Puck's ego, but sounding like a normal human being while doing it.

"Thanks babe, I know you can't resist the guns." Rachel laughed as he set her down, trailing her hands down said guns and winking at him.

"They are extremely lovely Noah. Some of the best on the team, I have no doubt."

"Shit babe, they are **the** best. No one can compare. So, I need to go shower, will you wait for me?" Puck felt weird asking, as he had never done such a thing. When he and Santana were 'involved' he had just met her at the after party to hookup and get drunk, so it was weird to ask anyone to wait on him. Rachel just gave a nod before moving over to Brittany. Puck watched her go, smirking at the extra swish she put in her hips before he ran towards the locker room, wanting to get clean as quickly as possible.

"Hey Ray! You did great tonight!" Brittany said as she picked up her water bottle, taking a deep gulp before grabbing her bag.

"Thanks Britt. I think everyone did an exceptional job tonight, so we should all be proud." Rachel grabbed her own bag and the two began to move towards the gate, where the rest of the Glee club (minus footballers, duh) were mingling. She was a little surprised to see Santana, the previous "Hell Bitch" laughing with the small group. Some wonders never cease to amaze.

"Hey you two, you did really good." Tina said quietly, earning smiles from the two girls.

"Thank you Tina. I am very satisfied with the overall end result." The others good-naturally rolled their eyes at her, finally realizing that that was the way she was going to speak, and they would just have to get over it.

"Yeah girl, you rocked that song." Mercedes said, grinning. Rachel was still amazed that she seemed to be friends with the entire glee club, even Mercedes and Kurt. She really couldn't believe just how drastically her life had changed in such a short amount of time.

"Thanks Mercedes."

"So are you guys coming to the postgame party?" Brittany asked as she liked pinkies with Santana. The 'gleeks' shared a look before shrugging.

"Um…sure I don't see why not." Mercedes said. Rachel bit her lip, not wanting to disappoint them, but she eventually shook her head.

"I think I'm going to pass. I'm still not very comfortable with the majority of the school, and add aggressive, mean football players with alcohol and I think you have a bad mixture."

"But Rach, you have to come! You a Cheerio now, and no one is going to give you a hard time." Quinn said, giving the short girl a look, clearly showing that she thought Rachel was crazy.

"It's fine, I'll just…go to the next one. I'm just not ready to go through this rite of passage just yet. But I hope you all have a marvelous time." Rachel said, giving Brittany, who looked close to tears, a gentle squeeze.

"What are you guys talking about?" Finn asked as they guys came up behind them. Rachel almost jumped out of her skin, but the warm hand that wrapped around her waist anchored her.

"We're trying to talk Rach into going to the party, but she's being stubborn." Santana growled, glaring at her. Puck glanced down at her, a brow raised.

"Why don't you want to go to the party?"

"I just don't feel comfortable interacting with the football team any more than is strictly necessary Noah. Like I told the others, I hope you all go and enjoy yourselves. I'm just not ready to attempt to mingle with several of my past tormentors." Rachel almost cringed to herself, but she was starting to get angry. So what if she didn't want to go to a stinking party? What was the big deal? It wasn't like she was making the others refrain from going!

"If you're that sure, then we'll do something else." Puck said, squeezing her waist. Rachel gave him a blinding smile at his thoughtfulness.

"That's okay Noah; I really want you guys to go have fun. I'll probably just go home and watch a movie or something. It's not an inconvenience at all." This earned her another eye roll, but she just kept smiling, delighted that Puck would actually give up the party to hang out with her.

"Why don't we all do something together? I mean, we're all here." Finn asked, his dopey smile curving his lips. His arm was currently slung over Quinn's shoulders, but he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering over to the happy face of Rachel. He was still confused and amazed that she seemed to actually be happy with Puck, but Finn figured the relationship would end soon, as Puck wasn't a long-term guy.

Although, Puck looked really happy too, so maybe the two would actually stay together. Finn's heart clenched a little at the thought, but he really just wanted Rachel to be happy. So if he couldn't have her, than at least it was his best friend and not a stranger that got her.

"Oo, we could go bowling! Or go to a movie or something." Finn trailed off when he saw his first suggestion was not very well received. Rachel in particular did not want to go bowling, as they just brought back the fact that Finn had tried to manipulate her into rejoining the club.

"_New Moon_ came out today!" Tina said, bouncing a little.

"I thought you said you parents didn't let you see the Twilight movie." Artie said, a confused look on his face. Tina blushed before mumbling that she had snuck out to see it.

"There is no way I'm sitting through a damn chick flick about sparkly vamps." Puck said, giving a shudder at the mere thought.

"How in the world do you know it's about "sparkly vamps"" Rachel asked, pulling away from him to give him an amused look. Puck glared at her for calling him out.

"Eli has not shut up about the damn series, even though Ma will not let her go watch it. Apparently the guy is "drool worthy", as Eli describes." Rachel begins to giggle at the thought of Eli bugging Puck about the movie, and she could clearly see the pained and irritated look that would have definitely been on his face. Puck continued to glare at her, which just set her off into a full out laugh.

"I agree with Puck, no chick flicks. _2012_ came out last week and I haven't been able to see it." Matt said, desperately wanting to steer the conversation away from 'sparkly vamps'. The others began to nod in agreement, and when they turned to see if Puck and Rachel agreed, they were met with the sight of Puck attacking Rachel's sides in a tickle battle.

"Oh please stop! I can't breathe! No—ah!" Rachel panted as she tried to squirm away from the large hands, but Puck wasn't having any of it.

"Not until you say it." Rachel raised her head to glare at him, but he just restarted the tickle attack and she started laughing again. After a few more moments, she finally had to give in, as she feared she would pee herself if he tickled her anymore.

"Okay Noah, you are a badass and don't know anything about the Twilight Series. You're also the best kisser ever and the hottest guy in school. Please, just stop." Puck smirked down at her before wrapping his arms around her, letting her lean against him as she tried to catch her breath.

"Excuse me! I take offense to that statement! I am a lot hotter than Puck!" Mike said, pouting. The others laughed before they made their way to the parking lot, ignoring the Asian as he continued to claim to be hotter than Puck. Because seriously, that was not even possible. Like ever!

/*/

The group has stormed the theatre, taking up an entire row and most of the popcorn and slurpies. But they all had fun, much to the inconvenience of the cleaners, as they tossed food around the row, starting a mini-food fight, much to Rachel's horror. And she would deny it if anyone asked her if she threw any food item at anyone! (Even if she did end up dousing Matt in popcorn)

When she got home, Rachel couldn't remember ever feeling so light and happy. She couldn't remember ever having as much fun, and the kiss Noah had given her on her doorstep still tingled on her lips. Saying goodnight to her dads, she floated up to her room to begin her nightly routine, which now consisted of several texts to and from Puck before she finally fell asleep.

/*/

Sunday came quickly, as Rachel had spent Saturday cooking and hanging out with Puck. He hadn't been able to stay long, as his mother had picked up a shift so she didn't have to work on Thanksgiving, but Rachel loved every minute they were together. Especially given the fact that her 'monthly visitor' was on the way out, and Rachel hoped they would be able to get able to spend more time together soon.

The Berrys arrived at the Puckermans at one, and were quickly welcomed into the warm home, where the smell of glazed ham and turkey filled the house. Lea Puckerman always made more than necessary, as she would take the majority of the left overs to the local homeless shelter, much to the inhabitants delight.

Rachel was quickly pulled into the living room by Eli, and forced to sit next to Puck as the young girl seated herself next to her 'idol'. Puck just grinned at her and kissed her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. They were watching the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade, and even though Rachel didn't really enjoy it, she did like being snuggled up against Puck's chest.

Overall, Puck and Rachel were only embarrassed a few times. While they had known each other their entire lives, they had usually been able to keep their parents from discussing anything too traumatic, but it appeared that once you get romantically involved with someone, all their past secrets just spill out of their parents' mouths. So they two were thankful that the embarrassment was kept to a minimum. And Puck was eternally grateful that his ma did not start talking about weddings and grandbabies, because he was just not prepared for that. Like at all.

They were, however, roped into doing performances, which Puck thought was just another way for his ma to embarrass him, but Rachel always light up like a freaking bulb when asked to perform, so he sucked it up. That shit right there, badass! Being able to make your girl happy with little to no shame, total badass. Oh, he was so the man.

The families finally separated around seven, with the teens having to sneak a kiss goodbye before the Berrys whisked their daughter away for evening Temple. Having parents sucked sometimes! Especially when they kept getting in the way of having hot make out sessions with his hot girlfriend. But he knew he was just lucky to get attached to a girl that had dads who actually _liked_ him, so Puck wasn't willing to push his luck. He did not need Leroy Berry pulling out the shotgun on his ass. No thanks!

He just really wanted Tuesday to get here, as he wasn't going to be able to see Rachel again until then. At least the guys were coming over tomorrow for left overs and a Call of Duty smack down since he had to watch Eli. Life was good for one Noah Puckerman, thank you very fucking much. You can all go suck it if you think that doesn't make him a stud.

**AN: Sorry for all the mistakes, but I figured you would rather have the story as is than not until later. Sorry again for the long wait! Please don't hate me! And please REVIEW! I'm already working on the next chapter, so please keep all pitchforks safely locked away! Love you guys!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: OMG! I AM SOOOOOO SORRY! Wow, I cannot believe how long this has taken. I must apologize, I haven't had access to a computer for weeks. I'm so sorry about the delay! So the last chapter didn't seem to go over very well, so I hope you guys like this one better. Please review and let me know!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, obviously! And any familiar script come from the show!**

Chapter 9: Picture Week

(Tuesday of "Mattress" Week)

Puck groaned as he tried to make himself comfortable in the tiny ass death trap Berry liked to call a car. He could not believe that his mom had seriously taken his truck to the garage this morning! How was he supposed to keep his badass rep up if he arrived in a fucking _pink_ car? And he worked at a freaking garage! That woman is seriously deranged!

"Good morning Noah! I'm so excited that I actually get to drive _you_ to school! Isn't it a wonderful reversal of roles? Although, I guess it makes more sense to always use your truck as you do look uncomfortable; the seat does slide back you know.

"Can you believe its picture week already? I'm so excited! I've always treated yearbook photos as a chance to prepare myself for the paparazzi, so I've tried to be in as many organizations as possible. Well, except this year because I wanted to dedicate the time I am not in vocal, dance or acting lessons to focus on Glee, so I didn't rejoin any of the organizations I was a part of last year. Which it turns out was a very good idea since now I also have to concentrate on the Cheerios.

"I'm so glad Coach has eased up on me! I don't mean to complain, but after I rejoined Glee, I swear she had it out for me. But, overall, it was a good lesson in that it taught me that not everyone is always going to like my behavior and will attempt to sabotage my career, so I'll just have to rise above such incidents.

"But I'm really excited for the cheerleading photos! Even if I end of quitting or being kicked off, at least I'll have these pictures to show my children that I was actually accepted into such an elite group for at least a little while! And I can't wait for the Glee photo! To show the school that we're not afraid of their ridicule and that we're professionals who can look past the…" Rachel trailed off when she looked over and Puck just was staring at her, obviously lost in the one-sided conversation.

Puck always _tried_ to pay attention to whatever the fuck Rachel was talking about, as it most often led to making out if she found he was actually paying attention. But fuck, she had been rambling during the entire drive to the school, and Puck had absolutely no fucking clue what she was on about. Between her rapid speech and the thought about exiting a fucking _pink_ car, and Puck was lost.

"I apologize for ranting Noah, I'm just excited for the yearbook photos. How was your Monday?" Rachel asked as she turned into the (_thank the freaking lord) _mostlyempty parking lot. It really did pay off sometimes to get up and out of the house before 7:30.

"Uh…it was fine. Just babysit the brat and…finished my homework." The last part came out a mumble, as Puck was still having a hard time with the fact that he was actually doing school work. But when he had received his latest English essay with a large B- on it, Puck would be lying if he said it hadn't pleased him. Because, come to find out, actually passing your classes is more badass than failing them on _purpose_.

Rachel beamed her megawatt smile at him, delighted that she didn't even have to probe him anymore to do his work. She didn't want to be the only reason he was actually accomplishing his assignments, because she didn't want to force him to change and him end up resenting her. Noah Puckerman was going to have to grow up and mature on his own, and Rachel took the fact that he was willing to do the work himself as a great sign of personal growth.

"That's great Noah, although I dislike when you call Eli names. She is a darling; I just think you like to pick on her."

"Course I pick on her, she's a little punk. You only see the deceptively sweet side of her because she worships you." Puck rolled his eyes at her before he opened the door and started trying to untangle himself from the vehicle.

"I know no such think Noah Puckerman. Your sister is a little sweetheart and you can't stand it that she likes me better than you." Rachel couldn't stop herself from sticking her tongue out at him before bursting into giggles. Puck bit back a smile at her craziness as he (finally) pulled himself from the seat.

"Whatever you say Berry. That girl's going to burn the house down one day, and when I need a place to crash, I'm coming to your place." The only response he got was another round of giggles, so after grabbing both their bags from the back seat, Puck marched over to the driver's side and yanked Rachel out of the car. She was still laughing as he pulled the keys from the ignition and locked the doors before he literally threw her over his shoulder.

"N…Noah! What on earth are you doing?" Rachel asked as the giggle fit finally ceased. His only reply was to sneak his hand up her Cheerio skirt and under her spankys. Puck marched them into the school, glad the place was almost deserted, making his trek to the supply closet that much easier.

"This is entirely inappropriate Noah! I am capable of walking! Put me down!" Rachel almost shrieked as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp. All her effort accomplished was to tighten his grip and his hand to slide under her underwear and over her ass cheek.

When he did finally lower her back down to the floor, she didn't even have enough time to start glaring before they were plunged into darkness and his lips were on hers. Rachel thought about fighting him, but his lips were soft and warm and she couldn't find the willpower to pull away from her (sexy as hell – Noah's words) boyfriend.

Puck grinned against her mouth when he felt her relax and give into the kiss. His girl literally could not resist his awesome kissing skills! He dropped their bags down to the floor so that he could wrap his hands around his waist, lifting her up until she wrapped those fucking amazing legs around his hips, bringing their bodies flush as he deepened the kiss. _I fucking love supply closets!_

/*/

Rachel had just exited her second period class before lunch when was told about Principal Figgins's decision to ban Glee from the Thunderclap. Those that had been near the petite brunette swore their eardrums had burst with the god-awful shriek she let loose at Jacob, the bearer of bad news. She looked like she was literally about to start hitting the dweeb, but luckily for the gross gossiper, Puck had shown up and drug the fuming girl down the hall towards the auditorium.

Brittany, Kurt and Quinn watched Puck drag Rachel away, as they had all shared Chemistry with her and had heard the (good) news. Quickly sending out a mass text for the rest of the Gleeks (except Rachel and Puck _obviously_), the three made their way to the choir room. Kurt made a quick detour to the library before meeting up with the rest of the clubbers.

It was quickly agreed upon that they would _not_, under any circumstance, fight the ban. They were confident that Mr. Schuester would not be able to convince the principal and they would not have to endure the torture of their photo being defaced. Everyone sighed with relief, forgetting for the moment that their main star, one Rachel Barbra Berry, and their delusional director would not rest until they had a Glee photo.

/*/

"I cannot believe this! We have every right to have a page in the Thunderclap! We are a school club and as such, we should be entitled to at least one page! I know this was Coach's doing! You would think with four of her Cheerios being in the club she would want to be supportive! But no! It's always about besting Mr. Schue! Arg!"

Puck cringed as Rachel let out another shriek, passing up and down the stage as she ranted. He was just glad he had gotten her somewhere private before she lost control of herself and her mouth. Puck had to hide a laugh when Rachel kicked the piano leg, the short girl looking like a little kid having a tantrum. _Do not fucking laugh Puckerman! She will turn that bat-shit craziness at you if you dare!_

"And after not giving us money for Artie's transportation! This is completely outrageous! The nerve of that man! I should really get dad to sue the pants off him and this school! They don't do anything about the blatant bullying that occurs on a daily basis in the hallways, nor do they support any organization except the Cheerios! I realize that Coach's wins have brought in most of the money on their own; but Principal Figgins still gives the team more money than any other in this school! It's completely unacceptable!"

Puck gave a sigh before he stood from the piano bench and approached her, grabbing Rachel's shoulders to stop her mid stride. Rachel's face was flushed in anger and her eyes, which met his dead on, had a very dangerous glint to them that Puck found hot as fuck.

Rachel tried to keep her glare in place, but when Puck lowered his head to lightly nip at her lips, she found herself unable to do anything but sigh into his mouth before pushing her body against his. She flicked her tongue out against his lips, delighted when he let out a small groan before slanting his mouth over hers, not able to resist kissing her. When he finally pulled away, Rachel was surprised at how much calmer she actually was.

"Babe, who are you?" Rachel gave him a very confused look, not understanding his question at all.

"What?"

"Who are you? What's your name?" Puck asked again, cupping her face in his palms. Rachel's brow furrowed, still utterly confused.

"I'm Ra..Rachel Berry." Rachel murmured, not knowing where he was going with this (pointless) round of questioning. They both obviously knew her name, so she didn't understand why he was wasting her time with this.

"That's right. You're Rachel fucking Berry! And what does Rachel Berry do when something doesn't go her way?"

"I make it change." Rachel said, starting to get where he was going. She felt her heart flutter at the belief he seemed to have in her.

"You **demand** that everyone change their minds so that you can get your way Berry. You don't allow anyone to tell you **no**. When Schue wouldn't give you that solo, you said 'fuck you' and walked out. When that dude tossed you in the dumpster, you kneed him in the nads. You don't take anyone's shit babe! I've been mean to you since eighth grade, and you never let it get to you. So what are you going to do about this?" Puck demanded.

Rachel felt her face flush again, but this time from arousal as the conviction in Puck's voice was obvious. The fact that he thought so highly of a characteristic that most thought was annoying was extremely sexy.

"I'm…I'm going to demand Figgins let us have a page in the Thunderclap." Rachel said firmly, the determination surging through her. She couldn't believe she had actually needed help to remember just who she was, but at the same time, Rachel couldn't help but be pleased that Puck seemed to like every aspect of her personality.

"Damn straight you are, you're Rachel Berry and you don't take no for an answer." Puck said with a smirk, giving her ass a slap. Rachel jumped a little at the contact, but threw her arms around his shoulders to give him a deep kiss before she drug him towards the principal's office.

But when she barged in, demanding he change him mind unless he wanted her dad to contact the ACLU, Mr. Schuester had apparently already taken care of it. She beamed at the two men, who just gave her exacerbated looks before she flounced out, a giant smile on her face.

Puck raised a brow at her but she just grabbed his hand and almost literally skipped to the choir room, where Mr. Schuester said there was going to be a meeting before lunch ended. Even if she didn't actually get to do the convincing, she loved it when she got her way.

/*/

"Hey guys, I've got some good news and some bad news." William Schuester announced as he came into the room a few minutes after leaving the front office. He didn't look at Rachel, who was almost literally bouncing in her seat at the piano.

He knew that his news would not be exactly what she was expecting, and he didn't want to have to be the one to deal with her diva fit that was sure to follow. The others, who had been crowded around the drums, where Matt, Puck, Finn, and Artie were having a jam session, looked up at him with mild curiosity.

"The good news is that I was able to get us space in the yearbook!" Will said excitedly, expecting everyone to be thrilled; instead, they gave him horrified, anxious looks, obviously hoping his bad news would somehow save them from public humiliation.

Puck glanced over at Rachel, who's bright smile had started to dim, also curious about the "bad news", except for completely different reasons. She just had to be in the Glee picture, and if Mr. Schuester said otherwise, he would have one extremely pissed off midget on his hands.

"The bad news is that I had to compromise; we only get ¼ of a page, so that means there's only room for two pictures. So I figured, while the opportunity presented itself, we would go ahead and vote two captains for the club. This way, they can represent us in the yearbook, and we finally have captains that can begin to take charge of the group. So, at today's practice, we'll put it to a vote!" Mr. Schuester said excitedly before rushing to his office, not waiting for anyone's responses. He hadn't expected their negativity towards the entire idea, so he didn't want to give them time to argue with him.

Rachel turned to her fellow Glee clubbers, lightly biting her lower lip as she tried to come up with a way to convince them to vote for her. It really was the logical choice, as she was the best singer, and loved Glee the most.

So yes, she had quit before, but that didn't mean she loved it any less. And besides, she was the future Broadway star, and being the captain of her school's Glee club would look excellent on her transcripts.

But before she could begin to speak, the first bell rang, signaling lunch was officially over. She rolled her eyes (something she definitely picked up from Puck) at the bell before she grabbed her stuff, knowing she would just have to convince them before the vote took place.

"Don't worry baby, I'm sure they'll vote for you. They're actually your friends now, remember?" Puck said quietly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving it a squeeze as they started towards Rachel's English III class.

"I hope so Noah, I really want this! Prospective colleges would think a lot higher of my application if I was actually the co-captain of the Glee club, as it would show my leadership abilities and also my dedication to the club. The only thing that could be better is if I'm captain when we win Nationals!" Rachel said, her eyes widening in excitement as she thought about the possible future. Puck just grinned down at her cuteness (shut up, she was still fucking smoking) and gave her a light kiss when they reached her classroom.

"I'm sure you'll get the votes. You know you have mine, as well as the girls' (meaning San and Britt), so I'm sure everything will be fine." Puck couldn't actually believe that he was so pussy whipped that he was actually trying to calm his crazy girl down.

"Thank you Noah, that means a lot to me. I'll see you in Biology." Rachel said with a smile, leaning up to press another light kiss to his lips before slipping in to her class. Puck watched her sit down at a table with Tina, Artie and Mike, before she looked up and gave a shy wave. He smirked at her before nodding and heading towards 'shop.

He couldn't decide if he liked or hated the little ways he was changing the longer he was with Rachel. His rep had certainly suffered a blow, especially when he had chosen Glee over football, even when his girl wasn't even in the damn club.

But he found that more and more people seemed to be looking at him with respect, as if being with the bat-shit crazy diva showed that he really didn't give a flying fuck about what people thought of him. Sure, his teammates on the football team still gave him some shit, but they had even started to respect the short girl a little after her attack on the hockey player.

And the dweebs of the school didn't exactly tremble in fear anymore, but they still avoided him as much as possible, especially after he had strung Jacob Ben-Israel up on the flagpole for getting in Rachel's personal space. He might not be that big of a bully anymore, but he damn sure was still a badass and made sure everyone remembered it.

/*/

"Chica you need to chillax; everyone is going to vote for you." Santana said as she, Rachel and Puck exited the Biology lab. The short girl was almost humming with nerves and it was starting to piss San off. It's not like anyone else actually _wanted_ to be in the damn picture, so Berry really should just calm the fuck down.

"How do you know that San? We're supposed to be voting for two team captains and what if everyone decides to go with the "Golden Couple"?" Rachel asked, her voice getting a little harsh at the end. San and Puck both arched eyebrows at her, causing Rach to blush before looking back down at the papers she had prepared the night before, trusting the two would lead her to the choir room without incident.

"Trust me babe, Fuinn is not going to be the co-captains." Santana said with authority, which didn't seem to really do anything for the anxious diva. Santana almost felt bad (almost) for having an attitude towards Q, as she was her homegirl, but she had been a super bitch to Brittany, and that shit just didn't fly.

And Coach had made the Latina the head cheerleader when she found out about the almost-baby, and Santana was not willing to let the reins of power slip from her fingers so soon after having just grasped them.

"Rach, just calm down, even if that does happen, you still have four definite votes for you. And I don't think someone else is going to beat you out with five, so you got this shit in the bag."

Santana looked over at the mohawked teen as if she had never seen a stranger sight, which just caused him to sneer at her before flipping her the bird. Which the Latina just returned with a smirk before she wrapped her arm around Rachel's waist, bringing her closer to herself rather than Puck.

"I hope you guys are right. Thank you both for your support; I know being in Glee really doesn't matter that much to either of you, but it's _so_ important to me. Just think, if you had never joined, we never would have become friends! Glee has changed my life to such a degree that I feel like it's my duty to return my gratitude by displaying my pride of being part of such a diverse collection of individuals."

Rachel gave them both a beaming smile and kissed both their cheeks before she rushed into the room, wanting to get her notes in order before everyone else got there. The two 'badasses' shared a look of shame at remembering how they had treated the spitfire, before they too entered and took seats next to her, wanting her to know they were there for her. They might not be able to make up for their past actions, but they were determined to make Rachel realize she was no longer alone.

When the others finally arrived, Rachel was almost bouncing in her seat in nervousness. She turned to Puck when she felt his arm slid across her shoulders, her eyes getting momentarily distracted with the bulging muscles on display by his gray McKinley sleeveless shirt. Puck smirked at her when she just kept staring at the tan skin, making him tense his muscles just to watch as her eyes jumped from one muscle to the other.

When she was finally able to tear her eyes away from the arms of her boyfriend, she found him smirking down at her, causing her to blush before rolling her eyes at him. Puck just chuckled and leaned down, capturing her lips in his, relishing in the sound that was definitely a moan vibrate against his lips.

"Hey McLovin, keep your paws off my girl. It's bad enough she has to kiss you when we're not around, we don't need to see it. Besides, you need to learn to share." Santana said snidely, pulling on Rachel's shoulder until the girl was forced to break the kiss.

Rachel shot an irritated look her way, which just caused the other Cheerio to smirk as she shoved Puck's arm off the back of Rachel's chair to place her own around the confused girl.

Puck rolled his eyes at Santana, knowing she was definitely barking up the wrong tree; Rachel was 100% straight and he didn't think she would be ready to experiment for many, many years to come. But, having been involved with Santana for a couple of years, he knew she was just trying to get a rise out of him, so he ignored her and took Rachel's hand in his, which she gripped tightly and smiled shyly at him. _Take that crazy bitch! Rach is only hot and bothered for the Puckasurus._

"Ooo, are we having a Puckleberry sandwich?" Brittany asked excitedly as she leaned over Santana to look at Rachel, whose face instantly began to turn a deep crimson. Puck actually let out a chuckle before shaking his head at the ditzy blonde.

"No Britt-Britt, B isn't ready to go there…_yet._" Santana said, smirking when Rachel gave a horrified gasp of embarrassment.

"Oh…okay. But Rach, you have to let me know when you want that sandwich!" Brittany pouted for a minute before she turned to Mike, whose eyes were large at the clear reference to a foursome his girlfriend had just made.

It had been obvious that there was something between the two Cheerios, but having clear evidence was kinda disorientating. He couldn't decide if he was turned on by the image of Santana and Brittany getting it on, or miffed he hadn't been in on the secret.

Any further humiliation (for Rachel) was cut short as Mr. Schuester breezed into the room, clearly excited about the vote. He really hoped they voted Finn in, as the curly haired teacher thought the tall quarterback was like a younger William Schuester. It always made him feel accomplished when he was able to get Finn to succeed at something.

"Alright guys, we've got a full practice today. Not only are we going to vote in our captains, but I've decided we're going to do a new number for Sectionals. I know that pop songs have sorta been our signature piece, but I did a little research on past winners, and turns out, judges like songs that are more accessible; stuff they know. Uh…standards, Broadway." Mr. Schue said as he handed out the sheet music.

"Defying Gravity? I have an iPod shuffle dedicated exclusively to selections from Wicked. This is amazing!" Kurt said, his eyes wide with excitement. Mr. Schue gave him a nod before turning to Rachel.

"After your stellar performance of the song, I thought you would be able to handle it. How bout it?" He asked, completely missing the devastated look that slipped onto the boy's face. Rachel nodded, staring down at the sheet music, also not noticing the male diva's response.

"Why do we have to go all vanilla on this song? Rachel's already sung it and we need my chocolate thunder." Mercedes said, sharing a grin with the others. Rachel glanced up and shared a smile with her.

"Okay, we don't have time to rearrange the song for you Mercedes. Don't worry, I'll find something that you can…dip in chocolate." Everyone chuckled at his words, except Kurt, who still looked miserable. Rachel finally noticed, leaning over Puck to see her friend clearer.

"Are you alright Kurt? What's wrong?" Rachel asked, ignoring the fact that she was practically on top of Puck as she tried to get closer to her sad teammate. Puck couldn't resist lightly grazing his hand down her back to lightly cup her ass, which earned him an elbow to the gut and a glare, both of which didn't deter (seriously, deter?) him from rubbing said awesome ass.

"Yeah, it's fine Rachel. I just…I would have liked an opportunity to at least try out of the solo." Kurt said quietly, not wanting to draw anyone's attention, which was a little pointless as Puck was between the two divas so he certainly heard the conversation. Rachel frowned at Kurt, not liking that he was upset, even though she really _really _didn't want to give up her solo.

She pulled back to sit in her own seat, biting her lip, not knowing what to do. She hated that he was hurting by Mr. Schuester's quick dismissal, but the song was sung by a _woman_, and the audience would clearly relate better to a female soloist.

But when Puck caught her eye and raised a brow, she gave a small pout at his clear questioning if she was really going to keep Kurt from auditioning. Wasn't she the girl who didn't take no for an answer? Having friends certainly was a lot harder than Rachel had ever imagined, as it apparently came with actually having to give things up, like solos.

Before she could open her mouth, Mr. Schuester started talking about the vote as he passed Puck a stack of torn paper. Rachel glanced down at the folder that had made its way to the floor, not really sure if she should give her speech anymore. If she hesitated on giving up a solo, than was she really captain material?

_Leaders are supposed to make everyone feel important and included, even when they are clearly the better candidate. They make difficult decisions, and a true captain would not hesitate to make sure Kurt had the same opportunity as everyone else. Besides, he is a male soprano, which is extremely rare, and his talent should be highlighted. But are you really willing to give up the spotlight? _

Rachel was torn out of her thoughts when Mercedes said she nominated her, which was quickly followed by a second from Kurt, who couldn't bring himself to look at her. Rachel bit her lip again, not sure what to do.

"Alright, let's vote up in this piece. I got to go hit the gym and load up the guns Puckerone for the _football_ picture." Puck said, flexing said guns before handing out the paper. He grinned down at her, missing the inner war that was taking place inside her head.

_Alright Rachel, think clearly and calmly. Do you want to be the leader of Glee? Yes. Okay, are you willing to be a true leader and stick up for all your teammates, even if they threaten any future solos?...Yes, I think so. Not getting the lead in every role isn't going to distract from my talent, and I've just recently acquired friends, so I should be an actual friend and support Kurt. _

_He deserves a chance, even though I'm afraid he's going to sing it better than me. But…I can still demand the lead in the group number, so I'll still have my time under the spotlight. Having friends really stinks sometimes! But I'm not willing to jeopardize our friendship just for a solo at Sectionals. Regionals and Nationals? Totally worth putting Kurt in his place, but not Sectionals. _

_Okay, so we still want to be one of the captains. Good, and if you get elected, you can make sure everyone starts getting their chance to shine. I'm Rachel Barbra Berry and I won't allow anything to get in my way of reaching Broadway, even when that means actually being a team player. Besides, showing your willingness to step down from a solo is going to earn you points with the college officials, as it shows true dedication to the art of performing._

Rachel gave a small nod to herself before scrawling her name across the paper, pulling out the sheet of gold stars from her bag so she could place one after her name. Puck nudged her and gave a chuckle at her actions, which only resulted in her sticking a sticker on his forehead, causing her to start giggling.

"Looks like B has clearly marked her property." Santana said as she smirked at the couple, handing her folded paper to Mr. Schue. Puck rolled his eyes at her and Rachel, who was still giggling, covering her mouth to try and muffle the sound. Everyone else in the room shared bemused looks at the two before handing over their votes, ready to get on with practice so it would end already.

Puck pulled the sticker from his skin and placed it on his bag, which earned him an amused look from the Latina and a thrilled one from his girl. Rachel couldn't believe he actually put that sticker on his book bag!

Sure, it was a really small gold star that would probably fall off in a few hours, but the fact that he didn't toss it away meant a lot to her. It represented the fact that Puck definitely wanted to be with her, Rachel diva Berry, and he didn't care who knew.

"Looks like everyone voted for Rachel, including Rachel. But we need two captains guys." Mr. Schue said in frustration. Rachel's eyes widened in disbelief, not believing that everyone had voted for _her_. But she began to grin, delighted that they seemed to have such faith in her.

"Why two? We're fine with having Rachel represent us in the Thunderclap by herself." Quinn said quickly.

"We'd actually prefer it." Kurt said. Rachel beamed at Puck, thrilled that every single one of them had voted for her. _Clearly they see that you are the best possible person to lead this group to victory._

Mr. Schue gave a sigh, shaking his head at his student's attitudes. Glee was supposed to be a place where anyone could come and be themselves without having to fear being ridiculed.

And sure, in the past the club had not really been providing that, but since Rachel rejoined, everyone had seemed to be getting along. William just couldn't understand how they could still be ashamed of being in the club. But he knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere today.

"Fine, let's run through the number Rachel." Rachel quickly stood, glancing over at Kurt before she spun to face the class. Mr. Schue gave her a quizzical look.

"Well, since the vote was unanimous, it has given me the green light to push through my many proposals to better the club. To begin, I think that Kurt should be given the opportunity to audition for the Defying Gravity solo."

Her words were met with complete and utter silence. No one had ever expected Rachel to say such a thing…to actually willingly give up a solo! Kurt's eyes were the size of saucers, not believing Rachel Berry, diva extraordinaire, was actually willing to let him try out.

"Rachel, while I think it's admirable, we really don't have the time-" Mr. Schue was cut off when Rachel sent a glare at him. He was so confused. Rachel was always demanding all the solos, so he didn't understand why she was so willing to give one away.

"While I realize that most of you are shocked at my behavior, I have come to understand that getting all the solos isn't what's best for the club. A true leader knows that there is no "I" in "team" and that everyone should be given an equal opportunity to shine."

"I'm not saying Kurt should automatically get the solo, as that would not be fair to either of us. No one is just going to hand you a part in Broadway, and we won't do that here; we will have a fair competition and the better singer will get the part. Kurt is male soprano, which such a rarity, that I would be ashamed of myself if I let my…selfishness get in the way of possible phenomenal performance. And because he is a soprano, we won't actually have to rearrange the song as its keyed properly already."

"And this group is supposed to be about everyone being treated as equals, no matter what our social status is outside of the room. Not giving Kurt the chance to prove he can nail this song is not treating him fairly."

Kurt literally swooped down on her, clinging to the small girl, not even caring that his outfit was getting wrinkled. No one besides his dad had ever done anything so nice for him before, and the fact that it was done by his diva rival wasn't lost on him.

Rachel giggled against his shoulder, hugging him hard, amazed that she actually wasn't that upset about possibly giving a solo away. Friendship _definitely_ trumped solo.

"Thanks Rach, this means a lot to me." Kurt murmured, giving her another squeeze before pulling away. Rachel just gave a megawatt smile.

"Of course Kurt, you deserve a chance. But I don't think it would be fair to you to make you do it today, as you've had not time to prepare. So I think we should wrap the practice early today Mr. Schue and Kurt and I will have our…diva off tomorrow." Rachel said, raising her voice so that the director could hear her. Mr. Schue thought about arguing, as _he _was the teacher, but just shrugged. He needed to figure out a way to get a co-captain anyways.

Everyone quickly dispersed, as they had a good forty-five minutes before most had to go to football/cheerleading practice. Mercedes and Kurt quickly exited with Tina and Artie, excitedly exclaiming about his audition.

They were quickly followed by everyone but Puck, who just stayed seated. Rachel turned from the door, beaming that bright ass smile his way and Puck was a totally pussy because he actually felt the damn organ that apparently was his heart clench. Damn emotions.

"Oh Noah I'm so excited! Everyone voted for me! They must have realized that I'm the best candidate for a captain, although I do kinda wish they had picked a co-captain. But, I'm used to doing things on my own, so I don't see why this should be any different." Puck just gave her a small smile, actually enjoying the way she seemed to be overwhelmed with excitement.

"You're definitely the best for the job Berry. I don't know anyone else who actually spends as much time thinking about Glee than you." Rachel pranced over to him, letting him pull her into his lap, despite the fact that Mr. Schue hadn't left yet.

The man in question just rolled his eyes at his students before heading towards Emma's office, needing help to find a way to convince the others there needed to be two captains.

"I greatly appreciate your vote of confidence Noah. Although I do wish everyone would put more of an effort into the club, as we would be a lot better than we already are if they would simply put in the time. Oh that reminds me, Matt and Mike have finally agreed to let me help them with their singing! Isn't that great?

"You're singing has already improved drastically Noah! I'm so proud of you! And you got the High B a lot quicker than Finn. So we've agreed to meet at my house on Sunday's while you're working, so that you come hang out later if you want. I'm really hopeful that the two will be able to tap into their potential, as I'm sure they have a lot more to offer than just dance moves.

"I mean, you don't have to come over after work on Sundays if you don't want to. I know you're tired after work, but you're always welcome, as you know. Dad and daddy have been asking when you're going to come over for dinner again, which is a little ridiculous considering we just had Thanksgiving at your house. But they wanted to make sure that I passed on the open invitation. I-"

Rachel was abruptly cut off from her rambling when Puck pulled her face down to his, silencing her with his mouth. The girl could seriously talk to a wall for hours without ever getting bored and Puck really didn't want to waste the time they had free on meaningless ramblings.

Rachel sighed contently into his mouth, letting his tongue slip into hers. She loved kissing Puck more than almost anything else, maybe even more than singing (crazy right?!) But he was just so…awesome at kissing that she swore she could feel it throughout her entire body. It was like his lips sent electric shocks through her, almost electrocuting her while their mouths were connected.

Puck groaned when Rachel lightly but down on his bottom lip before sucking it into her mouth, knowing he found the act totally hot. She had to hide her smugness when he groaned again when she repeated it, but included running her hands through his strip of hair before lightly tugging on the small hairs. He pulled her hips down firmly against his, smirking against her mouth when she moaned as he rubbed against her.

"Jeez really?! Can't you two stop sucking face before I vomit?" Santana's voice cut through the haze, causing Rachel to slowly pull away from him, her pout very noticeable. Puck was about to tell Santana to fuck off when the Latina literally yanked the unfortunately smaller girl off his lap.

"What the fuck Lopez?!" Puck surged off the chair, grabbing Rachel's wrist to try and keep the Satan incarnate from being able to whisk her away. Rachel leveled the taller girl with a glare, not appreciating being manhandled or interrupted.

"Get over it Puck. Coach's demanded that since we're not in Glee we better be in the gym in five or else we'll "rue the day your unfortunate breeders ever gave birth to your repulsive, stomach churning selves."" Rachel's eyes widened at her friend before she gave a slight nod, signaling she was coming.

Puck tried not to show his disappointment, because badasses just did not fucking pout like pussies. Rachel leaned up and gave him a last kiss before hurrying from the room, missing the smug look that crossed Santana's face.

"Why are you cockblocking me Lopez?"

"Rach is my girl now. I gots to make sure you're goin' to treat her right." Santana shrugged before flouncing out of the room. Puck gave a resigned sigh before he picked up his things and headed towards the locker room. If he couldn't mack with his girl before practice, he should at least get in a quick workout.

He still couldn't believe that Santana Lopez had seriously cockblocked him. That shit was not kosher, no matter what her reasoning was. And Rachel knew he cared for her, so he really didn't give a shit what Lopez thought. There was no way he would be with Rachel after a month if he didn't actually have _feelings_ for her. No tail was worth waiting that long for if it didn't actual mean something. Fuck, he really was turning into a girl.

/*/

"Wait up, I need to talk to you two." Puck said, signaling to Mike and Matt to stay put as the now clean footballers began to exit the locker room. The two gave each other confused looks before shrugging, knowing Puck wouldn't have held them back unless he actually needed to talk.

"We'll catch up with you later dude. Be at my house by six." Puck said to Finn, bumping the larger guy's fist as the quarterback nodded before leaving, not even bothering to look back.

Finn was just starting to get used to the fact that Rachel was obviously happy with Puck, even though Finn highly doubted their relationship would last very long. But, Puck was his best friend, so he was supposed to support him, or at least that's what his mom said. He still hadn't really decided how he felt about it.

"So what's up man?" Matt asked from his place on one of the wooden benches.

"Berry told me about your Sunday plans." Puck's sentence was extremely short, but both guys sat up straighter, knowing that Puck was quick to turn violent when he heard something he didn't like.

"Uh…yeah it's the only day we all have any free time." Mike said, not wanting to provoke the buffer dude. The meeting was completely harmless, but Mike wouldn't put it past Puck to start giving out punches.

"Plus Rachel said it was a perfect plan cuz you would come over after your shift and we could watch the games at her place. Did you know her dads have like a seriously huge flat screen?" Matt put in.

"Just know that if you try anything with my girl and _we're_ going to have a problem."

"Dude, Rach is like my little sis. Plus, you're our dog, we're not going to do anything with your girl." Matt said, his face showing how offended he was by the mere suggestion. Puck shrugged as he grabbed his bag.

"Just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page." Mike and Matt both rolled their eyes at their friend before clapping him on the back and the three made their way outside.

"Trust, you have nothing to worry bout. So we're meeting at your place at six?" Mike asked, getting a nod from Puck as they arrived at the parking lot. When he saw the girls gathered around Rachel's car, Puck almost let out a groan when he remembered he had to ride in that abomination.

"Yeah, and bring some beer, I've run out of my stash." Mike nodded, showing he had heard him. Rachel gave the boys a smile before Puck wrapped her up in his arms.

"We're going to stay here till everyone else leaves babe." Puck whispered into her ear, making her shiver before she frowned up at him.

"Why?"

"Cuz I cannot be seen in this _pink_ car." Puck gave a shudder, which resulted in an eye roll.

"You are being ridiculous Noah. But I will not be the cause of you loosing anymore "cool" points." Puck pressed her tighter to him, knowing she couldn't stay irritated at him long.

"So what are you girls doing tonight?" Matt asked, his arm slung over Santana's shoulders.

"It's waxing night, duh." Brittany said, as if the answer should have been obvious. The boys all gave an involuntary wince before they remembered that meant three naked girls, which quickly caused them to get stupid, faraway looks on their faces.

"You guys are crazy." Santana said before waving at Rachel and pulling Matt off towards his car, wanting to get her sexing on before heading over to Britt's. Brittany smiled before she pressed a kiss to Rachel's cheek before she grabbed Mike's hand and skipped away. Mike gave a wave over his shoulder, bemused at his girlfriend's cheerful personality.

"Alone at last." That was all the warning Rachel got before she was pushed against the car door and her mouth was devoured. Not that she was upset, as she had already noted how much she loved kissing Noah Puckerman.

/*/

That night's gathering at Brittany's was a little awkward at first, because Quinn had been invited back. Rachel still felt bad about what had happened, especially the fact that she was keeping such a secret from Finn, but she was still uncertain about the blonde.

Quinn may have been through an extraordinary sad event, but that didn't mean she had gotten a personality transplant. So Rachel kept her guard up, especially when Quinn couldn't seem to stop herself from making snide and painful comments. But Santana and Brittany were her friends, so she was determined to overlook the engrained behavior in the other cheerleader.

For her part, Quinn couldn't seem to stop herself from tossing out the odd insult or jab. She had been a queen bitch all of her high school life, so she couldn't seem to stop herself. And she still found the short brunette extremely annoying, especially when she pulled out a camera, so the nasty words were easily accessible. But Santana and Brittany were her friends, so she was forced to put up with the diva if she wanted to keep the few friends she had left.

/*/

(Wednesday of "Mattress" week)

"You wanted to see me Mr. Schuester?" Rachel asked as she entered the choir room before lunch, confused as to why he had summoned her. She hadn't even been the captain a day and he was already finding something wrong with her reign? Typical.

"Oh yeah Rach, sit down." Will motioned for her to sit at the piano bench. Rachel's face showed her confusion, but she did as he ordered and sat down silently, waiting for him to get to whatever reason he wanted to talk to her.

"So, how's the captaincy going?" Rachel's brow rose in surprise, not expecting him to actually question how it was going. She had just thought he was going to start complaining about it, even though she hadn't had the time to _do _anything.

"I-I think that my unanimous selection gave me a very strong mandate to shake things up."

"Great. Well, I have a job for you, Captain." Rachel gave him a cute little salute, and Will plowed ahead, not wanting to give her time to really think about his request.

"We need a co-captain. (Rachel's smile fell) You have so _many_ great ideas, no reason you shouldn't have help pushing them through." Will rushed through his explanation, really not wanting her to throw one of her diva fits. That was really the last thing he needed. Rachel seemed to contemplate his words before giving a slight nod.

"I could use a trusted lieutenant, as I do have over sixty-five proposals."

"So, can I count on you?"

"No problem, I'm on it!" Rachel shook Will's hand before rushing out of the room. Will gave a relieved sigh, both because he didn't have to force her and now _he_ didn't have to try and convince someone to do the job. He was sure that if anyone could coerce another student into doing the picture, it would be Rachel Berry.

/*/

Rachel almost growled when she saw she only had five minutes left of lunch. She had asked just about everyone in Glee, and **no one** had been willing to be the co-captain. She tried not to let it hurt her feelings, as these were supposed to be her friends, but each rejection felt like a jab to the heart. Even San and Britt, her best friends, refused to be associated with Glee in the Thunderclap.

And she hadn't been able to work up the nerve to ask her boyfriend. Sure, one would think that supporting her would be part of the job description, but Rachel didn't think she could bare it when he also refused. So she didn't even bring it up when she passed him in the cafeteria on her way to cornering Tina.

Just when she was going to give up hope, Finn Hudson came into her peripheral vision, heading towards his next class. _Please, please let Finn be the one that says yes! I don't want to fail in my first assignment as captain._ Rachel took a deep breath before hurrying towards the tall boy, steeling herself for the fight ahead.

/*/

Rachel hummed to herself as she made her way into the empty choir room, having just finished taking her class picture, meaning Noah, San, and Britt were still stuck in line in the auditorium, where the class pictures were being taken.

She felt a little bad for not waiting around for her friends, but Rachel rationalized that she needed to warm her voice up properly before the diva off. She didn't want to give Kurt any extra advantage for the contest; since Rachel knew (even though she hated to admit it) that Kurt really was her competition. Who ever won should do so because they were better, not because one of them wasn't properly warmed up!

Seeing that Brad was not there yet, Rachel sat herself down at the piano and began her exercises. Not only was she going to rock this diva off, but she had convinced Finn to do the picture with her tomorrow! She was no longer the lone Glee representative. She just hoped that Finn kept his word and showed up.

Rachel was pulled out of her vocal exercises when the door opened and the other original gleeks came in, including Kurt. She took a deep breath, knowing that she needed to keep her competitiveness in check until the actual duel.

"Kurt, would you like to do some warm ups?" Rachel's voice carried over to the small group, causing Kurt to raise an eyebrow in surprise. He didn't know if she was up to something, but shrugged and sauntered over to the piano. Rachel let out a sigh of relief, hoping that Kurt was still going to be her friend, even if (**when**) she beat him.

The rest of the members soon began to trickle in, and Rachel found herself pulled off the bench. She gave a small shriek in surprise, which just caused a deep chuckle to vibrate against her ear and Puck pulled her over to a chair and sat her on top of his lap. Rachel sighed and leaned back against him, relishing the feel of his large arms wrapped around her.

He didn't want to alert her to the fact that she had actually hurt his feelings, because he was a badass and did not do feelings, when she didn't ask him to be in that fucking picture. It's not like he actually wanted to do it, but she didn't even _ask_ him; instead she got Finnessa to do it, which really pissed him off. But he refused to even acknowledge the fucked up thoughts, so he did what he did best, and distracted himself with the silky skin of Rachel's neck.

"Ok, alright Puck, Rachel. Two seats please!" Puck rolled his eyes at Mr. Schuester, but Rachel blushed and scooted over to her own chair, trying not to snicker at the scowl on his face. Will rolled his eyes at the two; seriously, they were like this _all the time_. Didn't they know what appropriate behavior consisted of? Well…Puck didn't _obviously_, but Rachel should know better.

"I would like to welcome you all to the first annual Diva Off, where Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel will face off over the Broadway hit, _Defying Gravity_. The winner of this challenge will be allowed to sing this song at Sectionals if this song is chosen for the set list. Now, who wants to go first?" Kurt and Rachel looked at each other, both a little nervous.

"Um…I'll go." Rachel said as she stood, flattening her skirt. Puck grabbed her hand, causing her to look down at him, and Puck pulled her forward until she had to brace her hand against his shoulder to keep from falling into him.

"Good luck." Puck whispered before he lightly kissed her. Rachel sighed against his lips, making him smirk, before she pulled away and headed towards the front of the room. _You can do this Rachel. You're a star, and stars rise to every challenge thrown their way. And if you don't win, Kurt will still do a great job. Just…do your best._ Taking another deep breath (she sure seems to be doing that a lot lately), Rachel glanced over at Puck before nodding to Brad, who started playing.

/*/

The glee club members just stared at the two divas, not really knowing who had done better. They had both been phenomenal, and trying to pick a winner was proving to be a challenge. Especially since many of them were actually friends with Rachel now, so Kurt didn't have the popularity vote.

Kurt and Rachel were both standing at the front of the room, watching as their fellow glee members conversed. Rachel reached out and took Kurt's smooth hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Whoever wins, I think you did amazing Kurt. I could really feel the emotions, which as you know, is the point of a ballad." Rachel whispered, earning herself a small smile from the fashionista.

"You were good too Rach. You hit that High F spectacularly." Rachel beamed at him, which made his own smile widen. If anyone had told him two months ago that he would actually be _friends_ with Rachel Berry, he would have accused them of being deranged.

But he was finding that once she calmed down a little on her craziness, that she was actually pretty cool to be around. It was just all that _crazy_ that kept getting in the way, but Kurt thought she was getting better at pulling back when it was getting out of hand.

Rachel was beginning to get annoyed with how long it was taking everyone to decide. I mean, really, how hard was it to pick one or the other? But it seemed like they just kept arguing, which didn't make any sense to her. Shouldn't they simply write down their vote and then the votes be counted?

"Okay guys, this is getting out of hand. Just write down your vote and we'll count them." Rachel's voice carried over to the group, making them go silent. They gave each other sheepish looks before quickly writing out their person and giving the scraps of paper to Mr. Schuester, who gave Rachel a grateful look.

"Okay, we have: Rachel, Rachel, Kurt, Rachel, Kurt, Kurt, Rachel, Rachel, Kurt and…Rachel. Looks like Rachel won." Rachel smiled in victory, but it quickly diminished at the sad look on Kurt's face. _Don't Rachel Barbara Berry! You won this far and square! You're the __**best**__! Don't give this up just because he's sad! What happened to taking no prisoners? Don't do it Berry!_

"Actually Mr. Schuester, if it's alright with you, I would like to give up the solo to Kurt. I…I think he did a fantastic job and…I think he would do a great at Sectionals." _I cannot believe you just did that! Kurt better appreciate what you just did!_

Rachel really couldn't believe it as the words tumbled out of her mouth, and from the shocked looks on everyone else's faces, it was apparent that they hadn't seen that coming either. It really sucked when you were trying to actually be a good friend! This is why young ingénues didn't have friends!

"Are you sure Rachel?" William couldn't believe the changes that Rachel was going through. A month ago, she would have flaunted her victory in Kurt's face; but now, she was actually willing to give it up to make Kurt happy. By the pained look she gave him, he knew how much it was actually hurting her to do so, but she nodded and patted Kurt's shoulder (who was still in a state of shock) before she went and sat back down.

"You are awesome babe." Puck said before pulling her towards him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Rachel gave a weak smile before she buried her face in his chest, trying to fight back the tears. Sure, she wanted Kurt to be happy, but at what price? Was she always going to have to give away solos just to keep her friends? There was **no** way she was giving up a solo for Regionals, Kurt be damned.

"Alright then, Kurt congratulations. Now, let's run through _Don't Stop Believing_ again."

/*/

Rachel was curled up on her bed with her back to the door, just wanting to be left alone to wallow in self-pity. Her dads had kept asking her what was wrong, but she hadn't really felt like talking about it. Sure, so she usually talked to them about everything, but Rachel just didn't feel like sharing. She didn't know if this was what it was like to be a 'normal' teenager, but she just couldn't seem to will herself to confide in her parents.

When her door opened silently, Rachel rolled her eyes. Couldn't she have one pity party in peace? It's not like she wasn't always having to pick herself back up, so why couldn't her dads just let her wallow for a few hours?

"I told you I don't want to talk about it." Rachel said, keeping her back to the door, hoping which ever dad it was they would leave her alone. When the door shut quietly, she sighed in relief, but then nearly jumped out of her skin when her bed sunk down and Puck's arms came around her.

"Noah! What are you doing here?" Rachel asked as she tried to turn to look at him. But Puck kept his arms tight around her and just pulled her against his chest as he settled against her pillows, running his large hands up and down her arms.

"C'mon babe, give me a little more credit. I could see how upset you were after Glee. But I'm very proud of you, you know that?" Rachel shook her head, her hair tickling his chin with the movement.

"I-I know it was the _right_ thing to do. But-"

"But it sucks havin' to give up a solo, 'specially when you won." Puck finished for her. Rachel gave a little nod before turning, burring her head against his chest. Puck pulled her even tighter against him, stroking her hair to try and sooth her. He would deny ever doing any such action, as it wasn't exactly _badass_, but it seemed to calm her down a little.

"I feel like I'm being selfish, wanting to do the solo. But, Noah…am I going to have to give up solos in the future just to keep my 'friends' happy?" Rachel peered up at him, her large doe eyes glistening with tears.

"Nah babe, if they want you to do that, then they're not your friends. So fuck 'em." Rachel didn't even comment on his language; she just laid her head back down on his broad chest and let her tears fall. At least she had one person who wasn't judging her for her 'selfish' personality traits.

The two of them stayed like that until Hiram came up to tell them it was time for Puck to go home. Rachel was so thankful to have someone who actually seemed to understand her and like her, no matter her faults. She felt better after his visit, as if she didn't have to be ashamed for feeling upset over giving up the solo. Noah Puckerman was definitely the best boyfriend she could ever ask for.

/*/

(Thursday of "Mattress" week)

Rachel stared at herself in the mirror, trying not to cry at the fact that Finn had stood her up. He had promised to take the photo with her, but he was nowhere to be found. _So much for being a leader; he's just like the rest of them, so concerned with their reputations._

_C'mon, you can get through this. It's lonely up at the top. If they don't want to be in the picture, then it's their loss. Do not cry! Don't let them win._

"Are we going to do this? I'm sorta on a time crunch." Rachel looked over at the photographer and gave a curt nod. She was Rachel Berry, and she was not going to let anyone or anything get in her way of her dreams. So she let Kurt have the solo, so what. If he, or anyone else, didn't want to show her the same kindness, then so be it.

"Wait-am I-too late?" Rachel turned at the question, shock filtering over her face at the sight of Noah Puckerman, resident badass, bent over inside the door, trying to catch his breath. She rushed over to him, not exactly sure what he was doing here, especially since he was still in his football attire, including shoulder pads, from the football photo shoot.

"Noah, what-"

"Am I too late of the photo?" Puck asked, finally getting his breath back. He might be a stud, but it was a long ass run from the football field to the unused classroom. Why they didn't take the picture in the auditorium like the others, he didn't know, but the run left him breathless with a stich in his side.

"You-you want to take the picture with me?" Rachel asked, completely shocked and bewildered. Never in a thousand years would she have thought Noah Puckerman was actually _willing_ to take the Glee photo.

"Well…I couldn't leave my girl hanging, could I? I saw Finn wasn't headed here, so figured he'd chickened out, the little shithead."

"I…I didn't think you'd ever want to do this, even if I'm your girlfriend."

"You didn't even ask me Rach, which gotta say, stings a little."

"I thought you didn't want to associate yourself with Glee in the yearbook, because it'll get defaced. I thought it would be bad for your reputation." Rachel murmured, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the wide receiver.

"I'm not here for _Glee_ babe; I'm here for _you_. And if that means posing for some stupid pic, then that's what I'll do. I'm a stud, a pic isn't going to damage my rep. 'Sides, if anyone has anythin' to say 'bout it, they'll get a talkin' to to my fists." Puck shrugged, clearly not bothered in the least. Rachel beamed at him, throwing her arms around him and attaching her mouth to his, absolutely delighted with him.

"I hate to break up this…touching moment, but can we please get this going?" The two teens pulled apart at the photographer's snide words, giving him very similar glares before Rachel led him over to the stools. Puck was about to sit down when he remembered he still had his pads on, so he whipped his jersey off and removed the plastic before pulling the jersey back on. He smirked at Rachel, who had gotten a distracted look on her face when she saw him in the tank top he had on underneath. He was such a stud!

"Okay, on three. One. Two. Three." Rachel beamed at the camera, completely forgetting about her 'professional' poses, as she could only focus on the fact that her boyfriend was there with her. By the second click, Puck had drug her stool closer to his so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders, making it clear that he wasn't bothered about being in a Glee picture.

Before he knew it, however, Rachel was in tears, and Puck was completely confused about what had happened. Sure, he hadn't really been paying attention to what the guy was saying, but apparently he had upset his girl. That shit was not kosher. But before he could say anything, Rachel was delicately wiping at her eyes and talking a mile a minute about some acting shit or something. All he got out of it was a 'crazy Rachel' smile before he was pulled out of the room.

"What was that about?" Puck asked, feeling a little bad for having not been paying attention.

"That's not important right now Noah. We have forty-five minutes before Glee, and I want to…show my gratitude for you stepping up and being willing to take that picture with me. Meet me in the handicap bathroom down the hall from the choir room in ten minutes. Ten minutes Noah, don't be late." Rachel said before she hurried down the hall, leaving a confused boy behind her.

Rachel quickly made her way to her locker, her heart pounding in excitement. Not only had she just single handedly secured the Glee club's first big break, but she was also going to act on one of her fantasies, and in the middle of the school day! Noah was definitely a bad influence on her, but she couldn't seem to bring herself to care.

Throwing the locker door open, Rachel grabbed the 'out of order' sign, which she used to use for when she needed to get cleaned up from slushie attacks, and made her way to the designated bathroom. Once she was sure no one was in the restroom, she slapped the sign on the door and locked it.

Turning to the sink, Rachel quickly started removing her uniform, not wanting to let it get wrinkled before she made sure she looked as sexy as possible in her cotton underwear. It wasn't the best choice, but she hadn't thought this particular fantasy was going to be played out that day, so she had to make do with what she had.

Rachel had to clamp down on her sudden nerves when there was a knock on the door and Puck's voice sounded from behind the wood. Steeling herself, Rachel moved behind the door and flipped the lock, pulling hit slightly open before grabbing his jacket and pulling him into the bathroom, quickly relocking the door.

Puck was not sure why he was in a bathroom of all places, because there were perfectly good supply closets if she wanted to make out. But, he wasn't going to turn down a make out session, no matter where the location. Turning to see the small brunette, Puck's eyes about popped out of his head when he saw she was standing there in her underwear and sneakers.

"Wha-"

"Go stand over there Noah." Rachel said, pointing to the blank wall next to the sink. He just stared at her, but when Rachel raised an eyebrow at his lack of movement, Puck quickly moved over to the wall. He didn't know what was going on, but he sure as hell liked where it was headed.

Rachel slowly made her way over to him, biting her lower lip as her stomach churned with nerves. She really couldn't believe she was about to do this. _Just get started Berry, then things will get less…nervy. He's willing to let his picture get defiled just to be there for you, so you need to say thank you. Besides, this is __**your**__ fantasy Berry._

Puck watched her closely as she approached him, looking sexy as hell. He didn't give a rat's ass about what type of bras and panties she wore, because he thought she looked hot in anything…or nothing. And with her hair still pulled back in a ponytail, there was nothing to get in the way of his gaze taking in her lush, golden skin.

"I want to thank you Noah, for what you did. You could have let me take that picture by myself; to feel humiliated for putting my faith in someone who obviously cares more about his reputation than me or Glee club." Rachel's voice was soft, seeming to float over his skin, making the hairs on his arms stand up. She gently grabbed his jersey and pulled it over his head, smiling softly at him before she sat the shirt aside.

"I've had this fantasy for…well since last year actually. Every time I would use this bathroom to get cleaned up after one of your 'attacks', I would get this picture in my head of you being at my mercy." As she spoke, Rachel lifted his tank top up and set that aside as well, lightly running her hands down his arms until she got to his hands.

"I love your arms Noah. They're so strong and they make me feel safe." Rachel murmured, running her hands back up said appendages before following with her mouth, giving each arm a trail of light kisses. Puck's body was quickly coming to life, as her lips were teasing him just enough to get a response.

"Grasp the pipe Noah. And you can't let go." Rachel said, pushing his arms up until his hands grazed the metal pipe above his head. He gave her a surprised look, but his fingers curled around the cold metal anyways.

"Hmm…see this is how my fantasy always started. You'd be stuck here, not able to move, while I could do anything I pleased with you." Rachel skimmed her fingertips down his chest, giving each nipple a light tweak before lowering to brush against his abs.

"And I love your chest too, Noah. I always thought you had an amazing body. Did you know, that after that night a summer camp, I couldn't get you out of my head? Even when you started being mean, I couldn't stop thinking about you. And when you'd play basketball at the JCC during the summer, you'd always end up without a shirt on. I couldn't help but stare, even when I was supposed to be doing something. You just…always seemed to be around to distract me."

Puck held in a groan as Rachel talked, her hands running a torturous patterned up and down his chest. She even stepped in the space between him and the wall, giving his back the same treatment as his front. And when she leaned in and started placing hot, open mouth kisses to his flesh, Puck swore she was trying to kill him.

"Babe-"

"Shh Noah, no talking. And don't move your hands." Rachel whispered into his ear, flicking her tongue out to lightly lick the shell. She felt him shudder, making her grin before she moved back around to face him.

"Sometimes, in my fantasies, I would throw a slushie at _you_. But then I'd lick it off every inch of you." Rachel's voice had gone husky, something he hadn't actually heard that much of, which was super sexy. He could tell that she was just as turned on as he was, especially when she started to lick down his chest, as if following the trail of the would-be slushie.

"Mmm, and you always taste good Noah. I wasn't sure about that, for my fantasies, since there wasn't a whole lot of foreplay before. But you do, taste good. It's like a mix of cinnamon and something I can only guess is _Noah_." Rachel trailed her mouth back up to his neck, letting her tongue flick out against the sensitive skin. She then moved up to his chin before pulling his head down for a deep, toe curling kiss.

Pulling away, Rachel took a step back to look at the picture he made. Puck's powerful arms were bulging above his head, the muscles flexed from the grip he had on the pipes, which she guess was a tight one to keep him from touching her. His broad chest was on display, seeming to demand to be worshiped, which Rachel found herself all too willing to do. But, they didn't have the time for her to keep teasing him.

Stepping back up to him, Rachel lightly bit his bottom lip, which she knew drove him crazy, as she unbuckled his belt and slowly unzipped his jeans. Keeping his gaze, Rachel slowly lowered his jeans and boxers, her body lowering with them, until she had them down around his ankles. With her eyes still locked with his, she ran her hands up his thighs, causing the muscles to clench under her touch.

"Even your legs are amazing Noah. They're so strong and muscular." Puck thought he was seriously going to have a Cinco de Mayo moment if she kept this up. Rachel either didn't get the hint, or she really just liked to torture him, because her lips were soon following her hands, trailing softly up the tight muscles, but never going to where he wanted her most.

Rachel had to bit her lip to keep from laughing at the pained look on his face as she kept move away from his pulsing erection. She knew she was being a little mean, but she wasn't sure when the next time she was going to be able to do this. And it was her fantasy damn it! Running her hands around, she lightly skimmed down the small of his back down to his ass, giving each cheek a light squeeze while trying not to giggle.

"You also have an amazing buttocks Noah. When you wear jeans that actually fit, I can't stop looking at it. I just want to…nibble on it." Rachel's voice had gone husky again, staring up at him as she gave one cheek a light pinch, making him jump. Puck gave a groan and his head fell backwards, not knowing if he would actually survive this.

Her teasing had literally every fiber of his being on edge, and he wasn't sure how long he could hold out, which made him feel like a pussy. But fuck, she just kept teasing him and his skin was a lot more sensitive than he thought apparently. Rachel knew it was time to get to the main even, as she could tell that he was beginning to get frustrated with her. And she'd had her fun, so she should get to the 'thank you' part.

"And you have a beautiful cock Noah." Rachel whispered, her breath hot against the sensitive flesh. Puck's eyes shot back down to her, seeing her _so_ close to him that he just wished she'd put him out of his misery. He also wanted to say his cock was awesome, not beautiful, but feared she'd stop if he broke the no talking rule. However, there was no stopping the exclaimed curse that was torn from his throat when he was _finally_ encased in the hot warmth of her mouth.

Rachel slurped on the head, bathing it in her saliva before she moved down to lick at the shaft. Once she was satisfied with the amount of moisture, she wrapped one small hand around him and began to pump, while she focused her mouth on the head. She knew he liked when she took him completely in, but she wanted to save that until the very end.

Puck wasn't really sure what was different about this blow job and the one on his mom's couch, but he felt like it was ten times better. It was probably because all her teasing had left him so sensitive, but he really didn't care why. Every time her tongue would swirl around his head, he thought the head on his shoulders was going to pop off. And when she would give a twist as she pumped, stars burst before his eyes.

"Thank you Noah, for being such a wonderful boyfriend. I know I'm not always the easiest person to be around, and I am so thankful that you don't seem to mind. I hope this shows how much I appreciate you." Rachel pulled away just long enough to say that, her eyes meeting his, before she slowly lowered her mouth back on him.

But this time she continued to lower her mouth, her eyes never leaving his, until her throat closed around him. Puck wasn't sure what sound came out of his mouth, but Rachel's stretched lips seemed to smile around him before she pulled back and then lowered again. Now that her mouth was taking all of him, Rachel used one hand to massage his sack, and the other one ran up and down the inside of his thigh, which proved to be just as sensitive as the rest of him.

When Rachel started humming with his dick down her throat, Puck couldn't hold on anymore and he climaxed. It was so strong that he thought he had blacked out for a moment, thankful that he was almost hanging on to the pipe, as he didn't think his legs could support him.

Rachel grinned as she swallowed, making sure to get everything before pulling back. She gave his head a light kiss before standing, pulling his pants back up with her. She felt accomplished, as the glazed look in Puck's eyes told her just how much he liked her impromptu actions. Quickly pulling the chair that was always in the bathroom over to him, Rachel lightly pulled him down into the seat, bemused when he just sat there, not really seeming to be _there_.

"You should get redressed soon Noah, it's almost time for Glee." Rachel said, fighting back another giggle when he gave her a befuddled look before glancing down at his unzipped jeans. Rachel turned away from him, grabbing the small bag out of her book bag before setting it on the sink. Puck watched in a daze as she pulled out her travel toothbrush and paste before brushing her teeth. Seriously, that girl thinks of everything.

Rachel tried not to get flustered as Puck watched her get put together. Her body was still humming, desperately wanting release of its own, but there wasn't time and that wasn't why she brought him in here. Pushing her needs to the side, Rachel quickly brushed her hair into a neat tail before reapplying her light makeup. She turned to grab her uniform, which had been lain across the top of the stall's wall, and saw that Puck still hadn't moved.

Rolling her eyes, Rachel quickly donned her uniform before putting everything back away and approached Puck. She grabbed his shirts from the floor and sat down on his knee. Puck's hands shot out to hold on to her, his hands almost burning against her thighs.

"Babe, that was…" Puck was actually at a loss of words. That was the absolute fucking **best** blow job of his life! No lie! He still couldn't feel his legs! Rachel smiled at him before leaning in to kiss him. She gave a moan when his tongue surged into her mouth, battling with hers until she had to pull away, aware of just little time they had.

"Come one Noah, we have to go." Rachel said before she stood, pulling him up with her. She felt immensely proud of herself when he seemed to stumble and actually had to sit back down because his legs were shaking too bad to support him. She had to bit her lip to keep from whooping (as that is very unladylike) and she quickly helped him into his shirts and did up his zipper and belt. Puck couldn't even attempt to look put out, as a blissful smirk wouldn't leave his face.

"Alright, come on Noah." Rachel said after grabbing her bag. She pulled him once more from the chair, but this time she wrapped his arm around her shoulders, trying to help support his weight as they wobbled to the door. Grabbing the sign she quickly stuffed it into his jacket pocket before once more attempting to help him down the hallway.

"Yo B, what's wrong with Puckerman?" Santana asked as sauntered over to them, having been headed to the choir room with Britt, Matt, and Mike.

"Um…he just can't…feel his legs right now." Rachel said, her face going bright red when Puck gave her a smirk. Santana arched a brow, not buying that that was the entire story. When the petite girl stumbled under her boyfriend's weight, the other boys rushed forward to take over.

"Oh thank you Michael, Mathew. It is very kind of you to assist us." Rachel said with a smile, her hand rubbing her shoulder where the muscles were tight. Brittany looped her arm through Rachel's and the six started down the hall again.

"So what happened bro?" Matt asked as him and Mike tried to maneuver the larger boy around the students cluttering the hallway. Puck got a shit-eating smirk on his face, making it clear that whatever had happened had definitely been worth the loss of the use of his legs.

"My girl just thanked me for coming to the rescue and taking that damn picture." Puck said, not even realizing that he was being loud. His blood was still buzzing, so he really couldn't be held responsible, right? Right. Matt and Mike shared a look, not really believing it.

"What? I didn't think Rachel did that type of thing, especially not at school." Mike said, earning a loud chuckle from Puck. The girls looked back, and when Santana saw the look on his face, she quickly pulled them to a stop, making the boys also have to stop their progression.

"Why does Puck have the 'I just got some' look?" Santana demanded, her voice carrying down the hall, causing several people to look over in curiosity. Rachel's face became even redder.

"Santana!" The Latina rolled her eyes at Rachel before turning to Puck, her brow once more arched.

"Uh…" Puck wasn't sure if he should actually say anything, as his girl's face looked like a tomato. But he wanted to share her fucking awesome talents with them, so they knew just how kick ass she was. Although, maybe he wouldn't tell the boys. He didn't want them thinking about those talents! At all!

"C'mon B, you have to tell us now. We all know you did something, so just spill." Santana said, crossing her arms over her chest. It was clear that she wasn't going to let this go and Rachel gave a tired sigh.

"I simply showed my appreciation for the fact that Noah was willing to do the Glee photo with me, something none of you were willing to do." She tried to get them to feel guilty, but by the looks on their faces, they were more interested in how exactly she 'showed her appreciation.'

"So what, you blew him?" If that was the case, Santana couldn't figure what the big deal was. She had done that to Puck plenty of times, and he'd never needed help walking afterward.

"Oh god, you have _no _idea!" Puck said, his eyes glazing over again at the memory.

"NOAH!" Puck just shrugged, not even being able to care about her getting mad at him anymore.

"Ph-lease! I've never seen a bj do _that_ to a guy." Santana said, pointing to Puck, who just smirked at her.

"I cannot believe we are talking about this! I am going to Glee!" Rachel stormed away, not even looking behind her. Puck gazed after her for a moment, but by the intense glare he was getting from the Latina, he knew _he_ wasn't getting out of telling.

When the five finally made it into the choir room, the other four had astonished looks on their faces. Rachel glanced over at them and blushed when she saw the looks they were giving her. She could not believe Noah had actually told them! He was so _not_ getting a repeat in the near future!

"Goddamn Berry, you just continue to surprise me! And I feel like I should be offended that Puck said you blow better than me, I just can't seem to. Fucking hot." Santana said, giving her an appreciative once-over. The other gleeks looked on with wide eyes as Rachel blushed more, Santana seemed to leer, Brittany was Brittany, and Matt and Mike had to help _Puck_ into a chair.

"I still can't believe you can't feel your legs." Matt whispered, although he mine as well have been yelling, as everyone's attention was on them. Puck smirked again and shared a look with Rachel, which caused her heart to start pounding. It was as if he wanted nothing more than to bend her over the piano, and Rachel couldn't say if she would stop him. Okay, so maybe she would be able to move past her embarrassment a lot sooner than she thought.

"Okay, let's get this meeting started. I don't think Mr. Schuester's going to be in today, so let's begin." Rachel said, trying to bring the conversation back to order. Her friends just watched her bemused as she fidgeted before moving to the door, attempting to close it when Finn appeared.

"Oh hello Finn, so nice of you to join us." Rachel said sarcastically, moving away from the tall boy. Finn looked ashamed and mumbled something about Hitler mustaches before moving to sit next to Quinn. Rachel rolled her eyes before addressing the room, telling them all of not only Puck's actions (which earned smirks from the other five), but also about the big break she had landed them.

/*/

The mattress commercial had gone off without a hitch, especially after Rachel had made it absolutely clear to the store owner that they could not be paid in any form for their work. They were simply 'volunteering' their time and talent, as it would be against Show Choir rules to accept any type of payment.

When Monday came and Sue tried to get them bared from competition, it became apparent that she had underestimated the brain capacity for the members, especially one Rachel Berry. Mr. Schuester, who apparently had been sleeping in his office since Thursday night, was shocked at their commercial, but applauded their initiative.

When Quinn announced that Sue had 'agreed' to give the Glee club one of her pages free of charge, everyone was excited. This, of course, made Rachel mad because _no one_ besides her and Noah had been willing to take the picture before, but now everyone was down with it? To make sure everyone remembered their shameful behavior, Rachel demanded the Glee club still get the other ¼ page, as Mr. Schuester had already paid for it.

So, once May comes, everyone would see the smiling faces of the Glee club its director, and also a picture of its two co-captains, Noah Puckerman and Rachel Berry. Their picture was one taken without notice, as the two were beaming at each other instead of the camera and Puck's arm was around her shoulders, their bodies almost pressed against one another. It was a picture that Rachel would cherish forever.

**AN: I know the ending was a little short, but it's 2 am and I really want to go to bed. Please REVIEW! Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Please put the pitchforks and torches down! I'm sorry about the wait!**

**Disclaimer: Ryan Murphy still won't give me any rights to the show. **

Chapter 10: Truths Revealed

(Monday of "Sectionals" Week)

"Quinn, can I speak with you for a moment?" Rachel asked quietly before her fellow Cheerio could leave the choir room. They had just finished taking their Glee Club picture for the Thunderclap, and the other students were rushing out to try and grab some lunch before the bell rang.

"Ah, sure I guess." Quinn said, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for the last person to leave. Rachel waved goodbye to Puck and Santana, the latter of which quirked a brow before sauntering out of the room, sure Berry could take care of herself. Mr. Schuester debated on rather leaving them alone, but he wanted to pass by the teacher's lounge to see Emma before his next class, so he just shrugged before leaving.

"What'd you want to talk about Berry?" Quinn asked, her old bitchness back in her voice. Rachel had to suppress and eye roll, but she figured if Quinn was getting back to her pre-baby self, than it was a good sign. Even if Rachel was Quinn's number one target most of the time.

"Puck asked me to give this to you last night." Rachel said, moving over towards the door, where her bag was. She pulled out the envelope that held the $400 Puck had given to her, with the request that she pass it onto Quinn. To say he didn't want to stir up any trouble by being the one to hand over the money would be an understatement.

"What's this?" Quinn asked as she opened the envelope and saw the money. She was confused as to why Puck of all people would be giving her money.

"Well, Puck figured that Finn would be useless to try and help you pay that doctor's bill. And he feels it's the least he could do, since it was half his fault you got pregnant in the first place. I think he hopes that by doing this, you will bury any remaining resentment you might hold towards him. Of course, he would never actually say any such thing aloud, but I think he doesn't like that you still seem to be angry with him.

"Which, to be honest, is a little juvenile of you Quinn. You were just as responsible for your situation as Puck was, and for you to lash out at him was uncalled for. He tried to step up to the plate, even though you spurned him; so hopefully, this will patch things back up so that the two of you can be friends." Rachel said, not being able to keep herself from glaring at the blonde cheerleader.

She still felt awful for the fact that she hadn't revealed this huge secret, but she also couldn't get over the way Quinn had treated Puck. Sure, Rachel didn't want _anyone_ to have Puck's child, but to treat someone so badly when they tried to offer help was asinine.

"He…he really gave you this to give to me?" Quinn asked, staring down at the white envelope as if it would provide all the answers.

"Of course he did. He's been working hard for the past month to earn enough to pay off your bill so that you didn't have to worry about it anymore. I felt he should only pay half of it, but he said he didn't want you to have to be troubled with it." Rachel said, her own new found bitchness getting the better of her.

She just…really didn't like Quinn Fabray. And even though she hated herself for not being able to like her, Rachel couldn't just magically change her feelings. Even though the other Cheerio had gone through a very traumatic experience, she'd been horrible to Rachel since the very beginning of freshman year, and Rachel didn't know if she'd ever be able to move past that.

Especially not when Quinn was making no effort to change or hide her own dislike for the girl. Rachel knew that if they both didn't share friends, that they would still be bitter enemies, Finn or no Finn.

"I would refuse, but I can't keep trying to prevent my parents from finding the bills. Please tell Puck that I appreciate his help." Quinn said before flipping her hair over her shoulder and storming from the room. Rachel rolled her eyes at the other girl, not understanding why Quinn felt like she owned the world.

Shaking her head to get rid of thoughts about the petty girl, Rachel grabbed her bag and flounced out of the room, heading to the cafeteria. Neither Cheerio noticed the lurking orange fro that was hiding, a maniacal smile on his face.

Spotting Puck's mohawk, Rachel quickly made her way over to him and her friends, glad she would get to spend a little time with them before her dance class. Before she could sit down, Puck reached out and pulled Rachel into his lap, getting a small shriek from the diva before she landed on him.

"Hey babe." Puck breathed into her ear, making Rachel shiver as he wrapped his arms around her stomach.

"God, you guys make me want to hurl." Santana said, pretending to do just that, which earned laughs from the rest of the table.

"You're just jealous I got her first, Lopez." Puck shot out, smirking at the Latina over Rachel's shoulder. The brunette rolled her eyes at her friends as she leaned back against Puck, letting her bag drop to the floor at their feet. She couldn't prevent her hands from sliding down his, loving the feel of his skin against her fingertips.

"I did what you asked, Noah." Rachel said quietly, leaning her head back on his shoulder so she could look up at him.

Puck glanced down at her and gave a small nod, showing he heard her, before he lowered his mouth to hers; the two ignored the renewed sound effects from Santana. They only had a few minutes before class started, so they weren't going to let anything stop them from having their time together.

/*/

Finn was almost to the choir room for Glee rehearsal when he was stopped by the school's gossip hound, Jacob Ben Israel. He tried not to show his irritation, knowing he wasn't going to be able to get away from the crazy freshman until the boy asked his questions.

"Finn Hudson, Quarterback and all around nice guy of McKinley High, how does it feel to be lied to by two of your closest friends and your precious girlfriend?" Jacob asked, his voice so high pitched in his excitement that you would expect him to be a girl.

"What are you talking about?" Finn asked, his face taking on his 'I'm so confused' face; which, really, was very much his everyday facial expression (just saying). Jacob let out a (terrifying) laugh and pulled out a recorder.

"I was on my way to question my love on the rumors of her bathroom activities as of late when I stumbled on the beautiful Ms. Berry having a very interesting conversation with one Quinn Fabray. Would you like to hear it?" Jacob asked, holding up the recorder invitingly. He could not wait to get to his computer and post his newest blog, which would reveal the scandal to the entire world.

"What?" Finn asked, still confused. Jacob rolled his eyes at the dimwit before he pressed the play button and held the device up next to Finn's ear, so that even the stupid footballer couldn't mistake the voices that sounded from the recorder. Jacob watched in elation as Finn's facial expressions began changing, going from confused, to even more confused, to angered.

"Why would Puck give Quinn money?" Finn demanded, which earned him a disbelieving look from the blogger. Finn really was _that_ stupid!

"Because he knocked up your girl Hudson, that's why." Jacob said, lowering the recorder back down and putting it back in his pocket. He groaned at the football player's caveman tendencies, when Finn grabbed Jacob's shirt tightly and lifted him up until he was standing on his tiptoes.

"Quinn would _never_ do that! Don't go spreading these lies around!" Finn said angrily, not believing anyone would want to spread such rumors around about his darling Quinn.

"Get a clue Hudson, Puck and Quinn did the dirty and that's how she got pregnant. If you don't believe me, ask them yourself!" Jacob retorted as he pushed the tall boy away, pulling his shirt back down to smooth out the wrinkles. He watched as Finn stormed off, undoubtedly going to the source to get the lies proven just that, lies.

/*/

Rachel giggled as she and Brittany spun around the choir room, waiting for the club to start. They were presently waiting on Quinn, Finn, and Mr. Schuester; meaning the others were either watching the two with amusement or talking amongst themselves.

Puck was one of the ones watching the cheerleaders spin around the room, admiring the way the skirt flared up around Rachel's thighs, exposing the tan expense of skin to his perusal. Unfortunately, he was pulled out of watching his girlfriend when Finn stormed into the room and headed straight to him, his face contorted into anger. _He found out._

"Please tell me that it's not true Puck, that you'd never sleep with my girl?" Finn asked, well demanded, as he towered over the seated jock.

Puck sighed before he stood, knowing he deserved Finn's anger and the rage that would surely follow. Rachel had stopped at Finn's angered words, moving over to stand next to Puck, her heart clenching at the look on Finn's face.

"I-" Puck said, but apparently that was all the evidence the taller boy needed, as he snapped his fist back and punched Puck straight in the face. The more muscular jock took the punch, knowing he deserved it; he also took the ones that followed, even when Finn tackled him to the ground and continued to reign down blows.

Rachel let out a startled yell at the first punch, leaping back away from the two so as not to get hit herself. She turned to the stunned others, knowing they had no idea what in the world was going on.

"Someone needs to find Mr. Schuester." Rachel said, making it clear that she didn't care who went as long as they hurried. Tina gave a quick nod before dashing out of the room, hoping she'd be able to find the teacher before either guy got too badly injured.

"Okay, that's enough!" Rachel said, pulling on Finn's arm to try and dislodge him. But Finn was in a completely red haze, not noticing the small girl on his arm at all. Mike and Matt moved in to help Rachel pull Finn off, but before they reached her Finn accidently elbowed Rachel in the temple, making her crumple against the struggling pair.

"What the hell did you do?!" Puck yelled, pushing Finn off him when he saw Rachel go limp. Finn's eyes widened in shock as he saw her prone body, kneeling down next to Puck to see how injured she was.

"Baby, wake up." Puck said, pulling the slight girl into his arms. Rachel's head lolled to the side, revealing the side of her face, which was already red, meaning it would soon be sporting a bruise. Puck glared at Finn and pushed him away roughly, cradling Rachel closer to him.

"Get away from her." Puck bit out to Finn as he tried once more to see what had happened. He looked up when Mr. Schuester came running into the room before skidding to a halt, not really sure what was going on.

"What happened?" William asked as he made his way over to the group, which had crowded around the couple.

"Finn hit her." Puck snarled, glaring at the other footballer before looking back down at his girl when he felt her start to move.

"I didn't mean to!" Finn said, his face showing how much he clearly regretted it. Puck just ignored his (ex) friend, concentrating on the fallen brunette. Mr. Schuester crouched down next to Puck, examining the blooming bruise at Rachel's temple, knowing how much that must have hurt.

Everyone's breath seemed to ease when Rachel's eyes fluttered open before locking onto the bright hazel gaze above her, giving a small smile before she frowned. Her head was killing her!

"What happened?" Rachel asked, echoing Mr. Schuester's own question. Puck helped her sit up, still keeping her in his lap in case she fainted or something. What? Rescuing your girl was badass, okay.

"That's what I'd like to know." Mr. Schuester replied as he stood. The rest of the students moved back away from the couple, also not knowing what really happened. One minute everything was fine, than the next Finn was attacking Puck and accidently hitting Rachel.

The diva pushed off Puck, slowly getting to her feet, her hand going to her face as her brain seemed to bounce around her skull. Puck shot up, wrapping his arm around her as he led her over to a chair, not wanting her to stand for too long.

"Okay, I think some explaining needs to happen." Mr. Schuester said, closing the door and turning back to peer at his students. Puck just kept alternating between glares at Finn and worried looks at Rachel, and Finn looked ashamed of himself. Well, ashamed for hitting Rachel, _not_ for attacking Puck.

"I um…I think I know what happened." Quinn said, stepping forward, her voice shaking. She'd been late to rehearsal because she'd been cornered by Jacob, demanding answers to the real paternity of her almost baby.

Finn glanced up at her, but when he saw the shame and guilt on her face, his eyes filled with tears and he stared down at his hands, not believing Quinn had actually betrayed him with his best friend.

"By all means, please enlighten me." Mr. Schue said, not understanding why his students were fighting. They had seemed to all grow closer together as time went on, especially when Rachel rejoined the group, so he was at a loss as to why Finn would attack Rachel or Puck.

"I-I li-lied about w-who the fa-father was." Quinn's voice was very quiet, and no one would have even heard her if it wasn't absolutely silent in the room. Her proclamation earned gasps of surprise as everyone put the pieces together, glancing from Puck to Finn. Puck kept his gaze averted; knowing he'd already caused enough damage as it was.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Schue asked, although he _knew_ what she obviously meant.

"Finn wasn't…Puck-" Quinn couldn't finish as her voice got too choked up. She stared down at her hands, not believing she'd ever been so stupid. Finn scrubbed at his eyes, standing up from his seat and heading towards the door.

"I can't be here anymore! I can't deal with you, with any of you!" Finn said angrily. Rachel's eyes widened before she shot off her chair, her headache momentarily forgotten.

"Finn Hudson you will sit back down or so help me I will make the rest of your life a living hell!" Rachel shouted, hands on her hips to show how serious she was. Finn glanced back over to her, wincing a little when he saw her temple slowly turning bluish-black.

"I can't Rach, I just…can't." Finn said. Rachel marched over to him, having to bit her lip as dizziness filled her head. She would not let one mistake ruin the Glee club's chances at sectionals!

"Finn, if you leave this room, I will have my father get you arrested for battery." Rachel said, her voice showing how completely serious she was. Finn looked confused, so Rachel pointed to her bruise.

"What? Why?" Finn asked, turning fully towards the small spitfire, not understanding why she would do such a thing.

"Because I am not going to let personal dramas get in the way of us winning at Sectionals. Now sit down before I _make_ you." Rachel glared at him until Finn sat back down, having never seen this side of Rachel Berry. To be honest, he was scared for his life.

"If everyone would just sit down please, things need to be explained." Rachel said, pointing to Mr. Schuester and Quinn, until they too sat. Rachel took a deep breath before she pulled a chair to the front of the room, sharing a small, sad smile with Puck before she sat down.

"Yes, as it turned out, Finn was not responsible for impregnating Quinn." Rachel said, giving a little nod as if replying to a voiced question. She took another deep breath before looking at Finn, her face showing her own regret.

"Noah was the father." Finn's face darkened again.

"How could you not tell me, Rach? I thought we were friends?" Finn demanded, hurt filling his heart until he thought it would just shrivel up and die inside his chest. Rachel looked down, her eyes filling with tears before she met his angry gaze.

"Finn I…I've wanted to tell you since I found out. But…I didn't want to add to the pain you were already in."

"But I deserved to know!"

"Yes, you did Finn. But not from _me_; from Quinn and Noah. I found out the night Quinn…_that_ night, and I didn't want you to hurt any more than you already were."

"But I thought I lost _my_ baby! You should have told me! Instead I look like an idiot who mourned a baby that wasn't even his!" Finn went to stand, but was roughly pushed back down by Matt.

"That is the very reason I remained silent! No one deserves to go through that hurt and then to have the truth revealed! You loved the baby as if it was your own, and you felt it's…_her_ loss deeply. I wasn't going to add to that when the truth wouldn't have changed anything." Rachel said, gripping her hands tightly in her lap as she glanced over at Puck before turning back to Finn.

"But-"

"NO! You don't know what _I_ went through Finn, what Puck went through. God…after you left him that night, he came to me and told me the truth." Tears started to stream down Rachel's cheeks as she remembered the distraught boy who'd climbed through her window. Puck slouched in his chair, uncomfortable with the fact that the entire Glee club was about to hear about one of his most vulnerable moments.

"I have never seen Noah so…broken. I tried to be angry with him, I did; but, how can someone be mad at a person who was completely shattered? Sure, I felt slightly betrayed, even though we weren't together when they slept together; and I was so angry that he'd done this to you Finn, but I could never hurt him more after that night.

"I don't know how exactly you reacted, but Noah…there aren't words for that night Finn. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, but I comforted a broken man that day and I couldn't do more damage. Even if you thought you needed him, he needed _you_ to get through it. He loved her _too_ Finn, even though Quinn wouldn't let him have anything to do with her." Rachel had to stop to wipe at her eyes, trying to pull herself away from the heartbreaking memories of Puck's breakdown.

"Finn, you should know that Puck wanted to tell you the truth from the day he found out about Quinn. But she refused to acknowledge him or his wishes, and she's the one who really lied to you." Rachel glared at Quinn, who shrunk down in her chair when their eyes turned to look at her.

"I know that…things will never be the same; and they shouldn't be, as you were betrayed by two people who you trusted and loved. But I won't allow this to get in the way of our chances at Sectionals, Finn. And before anyone jumps on the Rachel hating bandwagon, it's not just about wanting to win.

"Sectionals represents _us_, the Glee club, and I refuse to allow anything to tear us apart. We will get through this, as we'll be sure to overcome even more disasters in the future. But for right now, we're going to go to the auditorium and practice our "Proud Mary" number while Mr. Schuester creates our set list." Rachel stood from her chair and approached the hurting teen, wincing a little as her head began pounding. Not letting it deter her, she kneeled in front of him and grasped his large hands in hers.

"I know you're hurting, Finn; I know you're entire world has just imploded on you in the span of minutes. But you cannot abandon us when we need you the most. Glee is your home, my home, our home; we're each other's' family and we must be there for one another. Look around Finn, this club is made up of more than just Quinn, Puck and I; it's made up by your friends and they're counting on you to be able to push your anger and hurt aside for the next week to get things done.

"Besides, you're not that innocent either. You led _me_ on when you joined Glee, you even kissed me on more than one occasion. I'm not saying their actions are excusable, because they're not, but you need to own up to your own role in all this." Everyone looked surprised at her words and Finn lowered his eyes, not liking that little news being out in the open. Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and waited for his response, not willing to let herself crumbled into dust, as she felt close to doing.

Finn glanced around the room, taking note of everyone's (besides Puck and Quinn) hesitant nods and looks of sympathy. It was clear to him that at least they hadn't known, that they hadn't held such a large truth from him. Looking back down at Rachel, he removed his hands from hers and stood, making her have to move back quickly to avoid falling over.

"I'll do this, for _them_ and myself. But us, we're no longer friends." Finn said, looking at the three 'liars' before grabbing his fallen bag and heading towards the auditorium. Rachel bit her lip to try and stop herself from crying, knowing she'd hurt him almost as much as the others had by keep their secret. But she would not have changed her mind; it was not her secret to tell.

"Ah…alright, let's get going. Rachel, maybe you should go see the nurse for some ice. I'm sure she's still here." Mr. Schuester said, not really sure what to do. How had everything gotten ruined so quickly? How come Finn and himself were lied to about their respective other's pregnancies? He just didn't understand any of it.

The members slowly rose to their feet, shooting looks between each other and at the three who remained seated before slowly making their way out of the choir room. Mercedes and Kurt lingered by the door, wanting to hear more juicy gossip, even while they were still reeling from the last batch.

Rachel walked over to Puck and ran her hand over his mohawk, trying to sooth him. She glanced over at Quinn, who was weeping into her hands, but she felt no sympathy for the other Cheerio. The only thing she'd felt such an emotion for with regards to the blonde dealt with her losing her baby; that's it.

"I'm sorry Noah, I shouldn't have said all that." Rachel whispered, hating the pain her boyfriend was in. Puck let out a heavy breath before he leaned back and pulled her into his lap, burying his face in her silky locks.

"S'ok. I had it commin'." He muttered, hating how hurt he actually was. Were had all these freaking emotions come from? He just…hated that he'd thrown away his oldest friendship for a night he regretted more than anything else in his life. Puck didn't know if he would ever get his friendship with Finn back; which he was man enough to admit (at least to himself) that he wanted.

"He didn't have to attack you. Physical violence solves nothing." She huffed, making him chuckle a little before sobering.

"That's how guys handle their shit, babe. I'm just pissed you got caught in the crossfire." Rachel rolled her eyes, cringing a little as her head began pounding again. Would this headache ever leave her in peace?

"That's because you're a bunch of cave men." Rachel said before wiggling her way off his lap. Puck watched as she straightened out her uniform before reaching for his hand.

"C'mon, I didn't give that speech just to hear myself speak." He sighed in resignation as he allowed her tug on his hand until he stood and grabbed his bag. The two eavesdroppers scurried down the hallway when the two headed towards the door, glancing over to the distraught girl before sharing a look. They silently agreed to let Quinn be and made their way to the nurse's office, knowing the next week wasn't going to be very pleasant for anyone.

/*/

Rachel carefully packed her clean uniform and pjs into her overnight bag, taking care to make sure she remembered undergarments and her white sneakers. Going into her bathroom, she seized her traveling toiletry bag and grabbed everything she'd need, hoping Puck wouldn't mind her intense routine. When she was sure she had everything, Rachel grabbed the bag and headed downstairs.

"Where are you off to so late, sweetie?" Leroy asked when he saw his daughter make her way down the stairs, as he'd been heading up to bed. He and his husband had been furious when they'd seen her face, but after she'd assured them (repeatedly) that it had been an accident, they'd stopped threatening to call the police.

"I'm…I'm going to Noah's, dad." Rachel said firmly. Even though the two men were extremely laid back and trusting in her, she knew they wouldn't like _knowing_ she was going to stay the night at her boyfriend's house. But she refused to lie to them.

"Oh. And why is that?" Hiram asked as he made his way from the living room, knowing Leroy could be very overprotective.

"I just…I think he needs me, daddy. After today, with Finn finding out the truth, I feel like he might…do something he'll regret. And I can't just let him be overcome with his misery; I have to do something to help him." Rachel said quietly, knowing her daddy would understand. The two men glanced at each other and Leroy sighed, hating that his little girl was growing up and becoming a woman.

"Alright, dear. Just…be careful." Hiram stressed the last part, the image of a pregnant Rachel sending fear shooting through him.

"I will. I love you both and I'll be back tomorrow after school." Rachel said, kissing them each on the cheek before grabbing her purse, coat and keys. The men watched in sadness as their princess drove away, knowing they were losing her. But that was a parent's journey, to raise their children and then to release them to the world, so the Berry men pushed down their own melancholy and headed upstairs.

/*/

Rachel took a calming breathe as she pulled up to the Puckerman house, knowing she was on the brink of crossing a line she wasn't sure she was ready for. Not any sexual line, but an emotional one. Would Puck welcome her when he was in the state she imagined he was? Would he push her away and retake on his 'badass' persona with regards to her?

Having no answers to the swirling questions in her mind, Rachel pulled out her phone as she shut the car down and stepped from it, grabbing her overnight bag. She bit her lip as the phone on the other end kept ringing, thinking he'd opted to simply ignore her. When he finally answered, Rachel had to stop herself from sighing in relief.

"S'up babe? I was just putting Eli down." Puck's voice was gruff, showing how difficult such a task really was. Not only had he had a shit of a day at school, but he'd had to work and his ma had been called in, so he'd had to babysit the sis. Not the way he'd wanted to end such a fuck ass day, that's for sure.

"I…uh, I wanted to make sure you were alright, Noah." Rachel said, her voice wavering a little as she bounced on her toes. She heard him sigh and knew he was probably rubbing his hand through his hair, as was his habit.

"Yeah, Rach, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Rachel's lips twitched as she rolled her eyes, knowing he got uncomfortable whenever his own personal feelings were called into the light.

"Come open the door, Noah." Puck's face scrunched up in puzzlement, thinking the little diva had finally gone mad. But he knew her, as scary as that was, and knew Rachel wouldn't request such a thing unless there was a reason.

"Fine, I'll be down in a minute." Puck grumbled, figuring he'd have another round of talking to endure with Berry before he could go to bed. He was surprised she'd actually come over so late (late for her) when she could have simply called him. But hey, maybe he'd get laid or get to fool around! That'd be awesome.

Rachel clicked her phone shut before she stuffed it back into her purse as she waited for her boyfriend. Butterflies sprang up in her stomach, making her even more nervous than before. Why was she so unsettled? It wasn't that she was afraid of actually having sex with him, as that wasn't the case at all; Rachel was just worried that he might reject anything but _that_.

Even though Puck had been admirable in his restraint when it came to her, as he hadn't pushed her to go farther once, Rachel still tiptoed around him when it came to his feelings. Puck wasn't one to reveal his emotions, even to her, and she was scared that if she pushed too far, too fast, that he'd completely withdraw from her. And Rachel was beginning to realize that her own feelings for the footballer were a lot deeper than she'd ever imagined they could be, and she didn't want to lose that or him.

"You know it's almost midnight, right?" Puck asked as he opened the door, giving her a questioning look even as he reached out and pulled her into the warm house, not liking her standing out in the Ohio winter. Rachel sighed in pleasure as she found herself pressed firmly to his bare chest, her mind immediately wondering away into the gutter she'd never admit to having ever occupied.

"I am aware of the time, Noah." Rachel murmured as Puck reached behind her to lock the door, before he wrapped his two muscular arms around her small frame. He noticed the bag slung over her shoulder, but not wanting to jump to conclusions and then be bitterly wrong, he didn't comment.

"So what's up?" Puck asked when she pulled away, clutching her bag tighter to her shoulder as her eyes trailed up his broad chest to his throat, until she finally reached his face. But she was distracted once more, this time by his parted lips, imagining them on her own. Puck smirked when he saw her face begin to flush and where her eyes were trained; he ran his tongue over his lips and bit back a chuckle when her eyes tracked the movement.

"Rachel?" The brunette snapped back to herself, flushing even more when she saw the smug look on his face. Clearing her throat, Rachel pushed her hair out of her face and glanced around, feeling a little awkward now that she was here.

"Uh…I just wanted to check on you. After today, I figured you'd probably be in a…mood." Rachel said carefully, not wanting to get his hackles up with careless words.

"You came to babysit me so I don't do anythin' stupid?" Puck questioned, his voice growing firm with his irritation. Rachel rolled her eyes at him and gave out a huff, her hand going to her hip.

"Yes, if we want to be blunt about it. You're not known for your impeccable coping skills, Noah. I just don't want you to do anything that you'll regret in the morning. Stop being such a baby." Puck's lips twitched as his amusement rose and his annoyance diminished. His girl was fucking hot when she got riled up about something.

"So are you gonna tuck me in and read me a bedtime story?" Puck asked with a smirk, nodding to the bag he'd ignored so far. Rachel knew he was being childish to get on her nerves, but she was better than that; she would not rise to such lame remarks.

"If I have to." Puck full on smirked when she answered curtly before starting to ascend the staircase. He watched her go, her tight jeans making the view very enjoyable; that is until she turned to quirk a brow at him.

"Are you coming Noah, or am I going to be warming your bed all by myself?" He was up the flight of stairs in seconds, making her have to muffle a giggle behind her hand. She did not need Eli to wake up and start asking questions, as Rachel wasn't sure she'd be able to look the ten year old in the face.

"Let me get ready for bed and then I'll join you." Rachel murmured as they approached the bathroom door. Puck's throat suddenly developed a frog, so he just nodded and continued on to his room, not sure why he was suddenly so nervous.

He was a stud, **the** sex god of McKinley; yet, now that Rachel here and apparently going to stay the night, he felt like he had back at Jew summer camp before eighth grade. Why the fuck was he so uneasy?

Rachel rushed through her nightly routine, forgoing a shower, not wanting to take too long or wake Eli up. She exited the bathroom in her pjs, a tank top-short combo, and silently let herself into Puck's dim room.

Her boyfriend was leaning against his headboard, trying not to look edgy. As unbadass as this sounded, Puck wasn't sure _he_ was ready to go all the way with his girl. It's just…today had been a fuck of a day and he didn't want her to feel like she had to sleep with him just to keep him in check. He wanted her to want him because she couldn't control herself, not because she feared he was going to do something stupid.

Rachel sat her bag down on his desk before she crawled into bed, sliding under the covers until she was pressed up against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Her left hand trailed across his chest in lazy patterns, relishing this close contact that didn't have to evolve into anything if she didn't want it to.

"Tell me the truth Noah, how are you doing?" Rachel asked quietly, wanting to keep the peaceful atmosphere unbroken. Puck ran his hand through her hair, enjoying just having her in his arms. But he knew his girl, and she wouldn't leave him be until he was honest with her.

"I dunno, Berry. I…it sucks that Finn found out, but I'm a little…relieved, to be honest." Puck muttered.

"Relieved?"

"Yeah. I dunno. I just, I'm glad that the truth's out there, ya know? I hated lying bout it, even after we lost her." Puck shrugged, really uncomfortable baring all, even if it was to Rachel. Badasses just didn't get all mushy and Puck was worried he might actually end up getting emotional again.

"That's understandable. Do you think you'll ever be friends again?" She didn't just ask for the sake of the Glee club, but because she knew how much they both cherished the friendship. Even when they were fighting or whatnot, they always knew they'd have each other's back. Now, Rachel wasn't sure if Finn would pull Puck out of the way of oncoming traffic, let alone make peace.

"Seems doubtful. I broke the number one rule of the bro-code, and that's not forgiven lightly." Puck wouldn't admit it, but he was crushed about betraying his oldest friend. Finn hadn't deserved his and Quinn's treachery, no matter how large a douche he could be.

"I'm sure everything will work out in the end, Noah; you just have to have a little faith. It's bleak now, but I think you'll work it out." Rachel said, leaning her head back so she could look up at him. Puck glanced down at her upturned face, her bright doe eyes sparkling with her certainty; not being able to help himself, or wanting to, Puck lowered his lips to hers.

Rachel sighed into the kiss, moving closer to him so they could deepen the kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth to get his fill of her taste. Puck wrapped an arm around her, holding her against his warm chest as he devoured her mouth, finding a peace with her that he could never find on his own.

Pulling apart, Rachel snuggled back down against him, laying her head on his chest and wrapping an arm around his middle. Puck kept his own arm around her, the other lightly stroking the arm around him. It was clear that he wasn't getting laid tonight, and Puck was alright with that. When it did happen, the little vixen would have his complete and utter attention.

/*/

Rachel awoke a few hours later, still snuggled up next to Puck's large frame. Her body was overheated, unused to sleeping next to another; she silently slithered from the bed, taking care not to awaken Puck. She grabbed one of his hoodies, knowing she'd be cold once her body cooled, and made her way downstairs for a glass of water.

Thankful for the small light they left on in the entryway, Rachel was able to make it down the stairs and into the kitchen without having any accidents. Grabbing a cup from the cabinet, Rachel opened the fridge to get the water pitcher Leah kept and poured herself a small glass.

Glass in hand, Rachel seated herself at the breakfast table, pulling the hoodie on and pulling her knees up to her chest, under the hoodie. The day had been overwhelming, to say the least. Now Finn knew the truth, hated her along with Puck and Quinn, and Rachel didn't know if they would win at Sectionals on Saturday.

Not only did they have all the drama to deal with, but Mr. Schuester still hadn't made a final set list, besides "Proud Mary". She just didn't understand how he expected them to win when he has given them a very small amount of time to practice and perfect their performances. Hadn't his own Glee club won Nationals back in the day? Shouldn't he know the time and effort it takes to succeed?

Sometimes she thinks they're just a way for him to relieve his glory days and that he is completely unqualified to run such a club. To be honest, Mr. Schuester was a poor Spanish teacher who happened to be in Glee when in high school; how did that make him trained to run the one club that actually meant anything to her?

"You're up late." Rachel would have fallen out of the chair in fright if Leah Puckerman hadn't quickly reached out to steady the small girl. Her heart pounding, Rachel stared at Puck's mother with wide eyes as the older woman casually seated herself across from her.

"M-Ms. Puckerman! I thought…I thought you were working tonight." Rachel's face went scarlet, even though she knew her and Puck hadn't done anything to be ashamed about. But when one is seated across from their boyfriend's mother in their pjs and said boy's hoodie, shame was quick to take root, no matter how uncalled for it was.

"Yes, they called me in for a few hours. I'd have said no, but the overtime is good, as Eli has wanted to start taking dance lessons to be just like "the Great Rachel Berry"" Leah said with a laugh as she air quoted her daughter. While she made decent money as a medical technician, extra money always came in handy; especially when she had two talented kids.

"I, uh, I can explain why I'm here. It was a bad-"

"Your dads called me, Rachel. Don't worry about it. I don't know exactly what happened, but I know Finn's been Puck's friend for years now. I'm just glad he has you to keep him from lashing out." Leah said, patting the diva's hand reassuringly.

"N-nothing happened." Rachel felt the need to clarify, not wanting her to think she was a harlot or something. Leah waved it away with a little laugh.

"Honey, I know my son's anything but a virgin, and what the two of you do is your business. Just, be careful. Alright? I'm too young to be a grandmother." Rachel gave a jerky nod, her face flushing a deep red.

"Of course, Ms. Puckerman. But we really didn't do anything. It didn't…it wasn't the right time." Rachel felt embarrassed, but not having a mother to speak with, she found herself desperately wanting to confide with her, even when she was Puck's mother.

"I've told you to call me Leah, Rachel. And I'm glad you're not rushing into anything. I love my boy, but he doesn't always think with his brain." Leah chuckled. Rachel bit her lip before leaning against the table.

"I know it might be a little awkward, but I don't really have anyone to talk to-"

"Honey, you know you can talk to me about anything, even Noah." Leah reached out and gripped her hand, giving her a small smile, which made Rachel relax and squeeze her hand back.

"I just…I'm worried that we might be moving too fast. I don't mean Noah's rushing me, because he's not…but we've only be together for a few months and I don't know if that's too fast." Rachel muttered, still embarrassed to be speaking with Leah about this.

"Rachel, all you should be worrying about is if it's the right time for you. It doesn't matter how long you've been with someone; it's about feeling comfortable enough in the relationship to move to the next level."

"I am, comfortable that is. I'm ready to go there with Noah. I mean, I'm not even a virgin, so it's not that big of a deal, I guess. I just…I'm worried that if we start doing that, then that's all we'll do and our relationship will end."

"Honey, it's always a big deal, no matter how old or experienced you are. And you know I love you like one of my own, but baby girl, you over analyze things too much. Noah isn't going to break up with you because you sleep together; he wouldn't be with you if that's all he wanted, you know that." Leah said with a slight shake of the head, thinking about her son's well-earned reputation.

"I guess so. Only, the last time we did, he turned into a complete and utter jerk and began bullying me." Rachel muttered, thinking about the way Puck had transformed over that summer. Leah leaned back in her chair, a brow quirked at this new piece of information.

"You and Noah have had sex before?" Rachel's eyes widened in alarm, having forgotten for a moment who she was talking to. Before she could start backpedaling, Leah gave out a little laugh.

"I should have known really. I'm sure the reasons for his behavior change, which I'm guessing happened the same time he started becoming "badass", had to do with something other than you two." Leah said, remembering the summer Noah had become Puck; the same summer his absentee father had shown back up to shake their world once more.

Rachel gave a miserable shrug, not knowing what to think anymore. He'd been so different once school had started back up, and she'd always thought that losing his virginity had unleashed the darker side of his personality. She'll never forget the feeling of the freezing horror of her first slushie, received on the third day of eighth grade by the boy she'd given her most personal gift to.

"It'll be alright, honey, I know it. You should wait until you're completely sure it's what you want, and then it won't be so scary. And remember to be careful." Leah said, standing. She placed a light kiss on Rachel's forehead before moving towards the stairs to go to bed.

Rachel watched the closest thing she had to a mother, feeling a little weight lifting from her shoulders. Leah was right, when she was fully ready, it wouldn't be scary. She felt so deeply for Noah (she was too scared to say the L-word) that when they got to it, it would be perfect. Besides, nothing could be worse than their first time, right?

Feeling reassured, Rachel placed her glass in the sink and returned to Puck's room. She hoped he never found out she'd blabbed to his mother about them being together, as she knew he'd be mortified; not only that Leah knew, but also because Leah tended to latch onto the idea of the two of them getting married and she'd probably view this as "destiny".

Pulling the hoodie off, Rachel carefully got back under the covers, hoping not to wake him. She sighed in contentment as she resettled next to him, willing to get overheated again if it meant being near him.

Puck had managed to turn on his stomach while she was gone, so Rachel made herself comfortable against his side; she was startled a little when his arm snaked around her waist. But when the boy didn't say anything, Rachel allowed herself to fall back asleep, feeling safe and cherished.

/*/

The following week was as Rachel had predicted: tense and uncomfortable. Finn refused to speak with any of "The Three", which saddened Rachel greatly as she'd loved having Finn as a friend. She might have wanted something more at one point, but at that moment, she just missed her friend and felt ashamed for keeping such an important secret from him.

But not only is Finn upset, but so are Quinn and Puck. The blonde is often seen crying and it was getting difficult (and annoying) to have to pull her out of her misery to perform. She was getting on Rachel's last nerve with her waterworks, and Santana had promised the diva she'd speak with Quinn before the brunette went all Rachel Berry on her ass.

For his part, Puck felt like shit. He hated himself for sleeping with Quinn and knew Finn had every right to hate his guts; even while knowing Finn wasn't the innocent victim he was playing. The quarterback should have never gone after Rachel while still with Quinn; if he hadn't, Quinn would've never gone to that party or slept with him. That Puck was certain of.

At least he had his other friends and his girl. Mike and Matt had been shocked and angry with him when they'd learned the truth, but after some guy time (involving beer and pizza), they'd come to understand his own side of the story.

They still didn't approve of his actions, because who could, but they decided to not take sides. Instead, they split their time between the two boys and made sure not to mention the other unless they were brought up by their friend.

The other Gleeks had also taken this approach, as they'd been verbally spanked by one Rachel Berry until they knew not to take sides. None of the party members were in the right, even though Quinn and Puck were definitely the most in the wrong; and Rachel wouldn't allow the club to split so close to competition. She felt like she constantly had to wrangle people to get them to work, as Mr. Schuester seemed to be in his own little world of marital problems.

Added onto that, as if they didn't have enough to deal with, Jacob posted his blog Tuesday morning for the world to see. Now, not only did they have to deal with the backlash inside the Glee club, but the entire school knew the secret now and weren't shy about letting their judgments known.

Puck had almost been suspended, twice, as he'd resorted to his old ways to deal with it: kicking asses. People quickly learned to leave him alone, as several students had black eyes and sore ribs as testament to his reaction to being questioned or talked about.

Rachel gave a sigh of relief when Saturday finally arrived, knowing they would either win or lose; but at least she'd only have a few more days of school before winter break. The diva didn't think she'd manage to survive any longer than that, being the rope in the tug-a-war between the Gleeks; while also worrying about her boyfriend ending up suspended or even expelled. Sometimes her life really did have too much drama in it, even for the resident diva.

/*/

(Saturday of "Sectionals" week)

The bus ride to the competition had been loud and enjoyable, even while the tension remained thick. The clubbers were determined to put the drama aside for the day and to give it their best, and Rachel jumped into the spirit quickly, pulling everyone into conversations and laughter soon filled the air.

Puck was once more amazed at his girl, at how she could put aside her own feelings to make sure everyone was comfortable and they would perform at their best. No one would ever be able to accuse the short girl of not letting the show go on.

Mr. Schuester was relieved when his students began talking, knowing everyone was still confused and angry about the secret that'd been revealed on Monday. He was definitely worried about them pulling together, but he took this as a good sign that they would in fact be able to do just that.

"Alright guys, so we've drawn the last slot of the day." Mr. Schuester said as he and Ms. Pillsbury rejoined the seated club members. The woman had agreed to come, as the female chaperon, despite the fact that her wedding was that evening; this caused many eyebrows to be raised from the Gleeks, even though they kept their tongues still, not wanting to offend the doe-like woman.

"We're going last? Isn't that bad?" Tina asked worriedly. Rachel glanced around at their scared faces and jumped to her feet before Mr. Schuester could respond.

"Hardly. This is good news. My extensive auditioning for community theatre has taught me that we either want to go first or last. If we're first, then everyone has to measure up to us, and if we're last, then we're the freshest in the judges' minds." Rachel said, giving a bright smile as she stood next to Ms. P.

"And did you ever get any of those parts?" Kurt asked doubtfully. Rachel lifted her head higher.

"Actually I did, thank you very much." Rachel responded to the snotty fashioniesta, hands going to her hips in annoyance, which earned amused looks from the others.

"Come on guys, Rachel's right." Mr. Schue said, not wanting an argument to arise, as tensions were already high without adding this to the mix. Ms. Pillsbury lightly clapped her hands and smiled.

"Yes, the glass is definitely half full of some very good things right now." The students looked around at each other, panic still lingering in many of their faces.

"They're right, guys. I mean, we're here now, right? No reason not to go in with some positive mojo." Mercedes said and received nods and smiles in return; the clubbers slowly got their confidence back. There was no turning back now, after all.

"Alright, I want you to go take your seats. I'm going to make sure our clothes are put away in our Green Room." Mr. Schuester said, signaling for them to get going as he walked over to the two Berry men, who had everyone's costumes in their car. Rachel waved to them before taking Puck's hand and sauntering off towards the auditorium, not letting anything get her down.

/*/

When two of the Jane Adam's Academy girls began singing "Defying Gravity" in a duet, Rachel felt her heart sink down into her stomach. There was absolutely no way this was a coincidence. Of all the possible ballads to choose from, the girls on that choir group would have _never_ chosen such a number on their own. No, the McKinley Glee Club had been sabotaged, that she was positive of.

Glancing around, she saw all her fellow clubbers had depressed and shocked looks on their faces; Kurt looked especially upset, as he would have been singing that song as a solo. Huffing in irritation at the entire scene, Rachel quickly stood from her aisle seat.

"Where you goin' baba?" Puck asked as he looked up at her. He would never, ever admit it, but he was actually disappointed that they were obviously not going to win now.

"I'm going to go fix this, Noah. Feel free to join me or stay, but I can guarantee you that they'll be singing another of our numbers; or the deaf school will, no doubt." Rachel snapped before she flipped her hair over her shoulder and stomped over to her fathers. Puck watched as the three exited the room, and he debated with himself before he leaned over to speak with Matt.

"Text me and let me know about their songs." Puck said and received a confused look from the other guy before he too stood and made his way to their appointed Green Room. When he entered, he saw Rachel was typing furiously on her "Hot Stuff" laptop, which he had to guess her dads brought.

"What're we gonna do?" Puck questioned out loud as he closed the door behind him. The Berry men gave him claps on the back as he shuffled closer to the crazy girl, knowing he'd have to step lightly so his head remained on top of his shoulders.

"Well, obviously someone leaked our set list. And I'd bet my signed Barbra Streisand album it was Coach. I'm sure all our songs are going to be played, so we have to come up with something else. A whole new set list." Rachel replied as she continued to search through the internet.

"Can we do that? Make a new list on such short notice?" Puck asked as he sat down next to her, a hand sliding down her back in soothing circles. Rachel just nodded, her eyes never leaving the screen.

"Yes, I'm positive we can. The worst thing we could ever do is to simply give up. Now, what should we sing. I'll have to speak with Kurt about the ballad, see if he has anything else in his repertoire. But we need something we can sing as a group."

"It can't be anythin' Broadway, Berry. It has to be something Finn can sing to, since he's the male lead." Rachel turned to him with a bright smile, thrilled that he was actually willing to help her. At her expression, Puck scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"What about The Rolling Stones? They'd suit Finn very well, I think." Hiram said, coming to the poor boy's rescue. He knew Puck like he was his own, and he'd never be comfortable talking about show choir business. No matter how long he dated the queen of glee.

"Yes, you're right daddy! They'd be perfect!" Rachel said, sending another smile over her shoulder before turning back to her laptop. Puck gave him a grateful look, which just caused the two men to snicker. Puck pulled out his phone when it vibrated, seeing a text from Matt telling him the Jane Adam's girls had done "Proud Mary"…in wheelchairs.

"You're right, babe. They're doing "Proud Mary" now. Get this, they're even doing it in wheelchairs." Puck shook his head, not believing the juvie girls would seriously not question the choices of songs.

"I knew it! I can't believe Coach would stoop so low! It's so irritating that there are four Cheerios in Glee club and she still is out to get us." Rachel gave another huff, scowling at the computer screen as she selected a song. The men all looked at each other, amused at the short diva's response.

"Is there anything else we can do, darling?" Leroy questioned. Rachel sighed before turning to look at the three most important men in her life.

"Yes, actually. If you could request for the Glee club to come join us, that would be wonderful. If Mr. Schuester says its unsportsmanlike, remind him that the other teams are cheating as we speak." They gave a nod before leaving the two alone.

"What song did you choose?" Puck asked when she turned back.

"I think Finn and I would do well on "You Can't Always Get What You Want." It's got both our ranges and is easily turned into a male-female duet." Rachel replied as she pulled up the song lyrics in the different ranges of clubbers.

"Hmm. Are you trying to say something with the song?" Puck asked, hating that he'd needed to get it out there. But with Finn now a free man, he had the very unbadass fear that she'd drop him and chase after the giant. Rachel glanced at him, confused, before shaking her head.

"No, Noah, I'm not. It's just a song that'll showcase our talent well. I've got everything I want already." Rachel said, leaning into him to press her lips against his. Puck felt stupid and like a girl, but relieved none the less.

"I cannot believe them! What ass-"

"Mercedes!" Mr. Schuester called out as they all came stomping through the door. Ms. Pillsbury looked completely confused and they were lucky she didn't start cleaning the room with her travel toothbrush in her anxiety.

"Sorry Mr. Schue." Mercedes mumbled as she threw herself down on a chair. Rachel and Puck turned to see everyone, and their teammates faces were a mixture of dismay and anger.

"It's not over guys, we can still win this." Rachel said firmly and pointed to her computer.

"How are we gonna do that? They've stole our entire list!" Santana said angrily, the Latina fuming. She really wanted to go cut some bitches, but knew Mr. Schuester would have a cow if she did.

"Of course they did because you gave Sue the list! You don't want to be here—you're just Sue Sylvester's little moles." Kurt said angrily, glaring at the four Cheerios. Puck grabbed a hold of Rachel, who'd jumped to her feet in outrage at such an accusation, knowing she'd do more damage than they could withstand at the moment if left to attack the gay boy.

"I have never done such a thing Kurt Hummel! How dare you accuse me of such!" Rachel shrieked so loud Puck winced, the sound bouncing around his head, threatening a headache. How she could withstand it with the giant bruise (covered by makeup), he'd never know as his brain was beginning to throb.

"Guys, stop it. I gave Sue the set list, as was our arrangement for her leaving us alone. It's my fault, and I should have known she'd do something so…distasteful." Mr. Schuester said, trying to calm everyone down before another fight broke out. Rachel glared at Kurt for another moment, until the boy lowered his eyes, even though he'd been speaking about the others and not Rachel.

"Mr. Schuester's right, we all need to just calm down and take a breather. Arguing about it isn't going to get anything done." Puck spoke up as he released her. Rachel straightened her skirt and blouse before squaring her shoulders.

"Yes, as I was saying, I've come up with a song that we can sing as a group. I've pulled up all our ranges, so that we can each learn our parts. We'll need to come up with choreography, but at least we have a song. Now, Kurt, do you have anything else in your repertoire to pull from?"

"No, nothing that I've been practicing on." Kurt admitted with a sigh.

"I hate to admit it, but you're our star, and if anyone can go out and belt it on the fly, it's going to be you. So you'll have to sing the solo." Kurt said resignedly. Rachel shook her head, even though her mind was yelling at her to accept.

"No, we, we agreed." Rachel tried to turn the job down, but the boy just shook his head.

"It's the only way we have a shot at winning." Mercedes spoke up. Rachel glanced around at everyone, and even Mr. Schuester gave a nod.

"Well, I do have something that I've been working on since I was four. And it'll actually go very well with our situation." Rachel said, earning chuckles from the others.

"Then I guess we have our ballad and our group number. We should close with "Somebody to Love", it's a real crowd-pleaser and we already know that choreography." Quinn said.

"Yes, great. Alright, let's get our parts memorized while Mike, Matt, Brittany and Santana come up with dance moves for the group number." Finn said, feeling like he should say something, anything. He'd been silent for most of the trip, but he didn't want to let the group down, even when he couldn't stand to be around three of them.

"It's going to be choppy." Mike admitted, glancing around the room.

"Good. We're best when we're loose." Rachel said, signaling for everyone to begin. The group separated as the 'dancers' worked on outlining choreography and the others crowded Rachel's computer to learn their parts. Rachel stepped over to Mr. Schuester, who gave her a bright smile.

"I'm very proud of you, Rachel. This could have ended a lot differently if you, all of you, hadn't stepped up to the plate." Mr. Schuester said, surprised the diva had actually been able to pull it off. He felt a little lost, as he should be the one leading, but was thankful his kids seemed to know what they were doing.

"We'll get through this, Mr. Schue. But I need you to go speak with the lighting and sound technicians, to get our cues on point." The director nodded and patted her on her shoulder before leaving. Ms. Pillsbury glanced around, not really sure what to do with herself.

"I think I'll go get something for everyone to eat." Rachel gave the councilor a smile and nod, turning back to her teammates. Mr. and Mr. Berry smiled proudly at their princess, delighted in the way she was growing up. They hadn't spoken of her overnight stay, even though Leah had informed them nothing had happened, but they were glad Rachel was finally coming into her own. She was finally becoming the woman she was always meant to be.

/*/

That night, the Glee club (including Finn) celebrated their hard earned victory at Santana's house with a loud, karaoke included, gathering. Unfortunately, according to Puck, there was no alcohol, as San's mom was home, but the party was still enjoyable, even for the mohawk wearing guy.

In the end, Rachel was able to get everyone to agree to do a 'thank you' number for Mr. Schuester that they'd perform on Monday, before break. They decided to just use dance moves from their previous performances, so all they had to do was practice the song and arrange the choreography, and they were good to go.

Puck thought the whole deal was stupid, but it put that giddy look in his girl's eye, which usually lead to heavy making out/petting episodes, so he just went with it. There was no way he was losing the chance to mack on the brunette, and he needed to make up for his lack of trying to get in her pants last Monday. He was looking forward to resuming that quest, having had enough emotional crap for the rest of his life.

If Finn didn't want to be his friend anymore, then what-the-fuck-ever; Puck had more friends and a kick ass girlfriend, so he was perfectly fine without Finn around. He refused to acknowledge the ache in his gut, because he was a dude, and dudes did not feel crap like that. Nope. Didn't happen. He hoped it'd diminish over winter break, because he was really tired of the damn thing. Not that it was there or anything. Nope. Denial is a man's best friend.

**AN: I know, it's a short chapter, but I've completely been wiped out guys. I'm so sorry, a lot of stuff has been going on lately, the least of which was my laptop died on me, which had the chapter on it, so I had to rewrite it. Also, I may have been compelled by Klaus to become obsessed with him, so I apologize for it. **

**I know I lost lots of readers because of the wait, so anyone who actually read this, thanks! And please review, let me know what you think. I'm not really happy with the chapter myself, so I'd like to know what y'all thought.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Alright, so here's the next chapter. I hope you guys like it and please REVIEW! I love all the feedback I can get! Be warned, this chapter is definitely worthy of the M rating. **

Suzanne Wolfe: Thanks for the review. I'm trying to do weekly updates, so hopefully I'll be able to keep it up. Glad you liked the last chapter.

Me: I'm sorry I've kept you waiting so long. I just didn't want to rush it with them, since they have past history that I haven't full explained. But it's coming, I promise.

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee, or else Puck would be a central character in the new season! I also don't own any songs or anything else familiar.**

Chapter 11: Winter Break, Part 1 (December 18 – January 4)

"Happy birthday, baby girl!" Hiram exclaimed when Rachel skipped into the kitchen, dressed in sweats and a tank top. She'd already completed her morning workout and shower, but as it was her birthday and the first day of winter break, so the diva didn't see any reason to get dressed up.

"Thanks daddy! I can't believe I'm finally 16!" Rachel beamed and kissed her daddy's cheek before being swept up by Leroy.

"Happy birthday, honey." Leroy said as Rachel laughed, the tall man spinning her around before setting the small girl back on her feet.

"Thanks! It smells so good. What's for breakfast?" Rachel asked, moving away from her dad to see the stove covered in pans, different things cooking all at once.

"Well, since you'll probably spend most of today with your friends, we thought we'd do our celebration this morning. That way you can have today for yourself. Plus, we have to head off to work in a little while and don't want you waiting around for us." Leroy said as he moved to flip the pancakes.

"But…we always spend today together." She would not admit to pouting, as she was 16 now and too old to do such a thing.

"We know baby, but your friends want to spend time with you too. We've kept you all to ourselves so we thought we'd be nice this year and let them have you." Hiram said, although they all knew that the reason she'd never spent the day with anyone else was because there had never been _anyone_ else. No friends, no boyfriends. No one.

"I don't even think they know it's my birthday, daddy." Rachel mumbled, turning away from her dads to avoid the sad looks she knew would be on their faces. Her fathers loved her more than anything and she was their world; this didn't translate into everyone else thinking the same, unfortunately.

"Well, then you'd be mistaken, honey. Because the Santana girl has already called to arrange for you to be able to spend the night at her house tonight." Leroy retorted, delighted his daughter finally had friends. Finally had others to share special holidays and celebrations with. People to make her face light up in surprise.

"Really?" When she received a nod of confirmation, Rachel had to stop herself from doing a little happy dance. Giving a light laugh at the goofy grin on Hiram's face, Rachel gave him a hug, their joy over the news shared between the three.

"Alright, while this is finishing up, here's your gifts." Leroy said, moving away from the stove to point to the small pile on the breakfast table. Giving a delighted noise, Rachel moved to a seat before pulling a present to her.

"We realized that with work, Sectionals, and your exams, we've completely forgotten about Hanukkah. So we've included those." Hiram said as he sat next to her.

"OH! I haven't had the time to shop at all! I don't have your presents!" Rachel's eyes were wide as shame filled her, not believing she'd actually forgotten about it. How does one just disremember one of the only Jewish holidays?

"That's alright, honey. We've already been blessed with the greatest gift anyone could ever receive. You." Okay, so Hiram's response was the cheesiest thing in the world, but it made Rachel smile and love fill her heart, so she didn't care. Her dads were literally the greatest parents in the world, no matter what anyone else said.

For Hanukkah she got a new pink winter coat with matching gloves and hat that were lined in white fofur, along with a black fleece jacket, _Funny Girl_ on BluRay, a new memory card for her camera, a body wash set that smelled like vanilla rose, a pair of gold star earrings, a new bottle of her favorite perfume _Allure_ by Chanel, and a (surprising) pair of black suede foldover wedge boots.

When she pulled the footwear from its box, Leroy had jumped in and explained the sales woman had recommended them since it was winter and all. The men had been embarrassed that they'd been at a loss as to what to buy, with Rachel no longer wearing her normal, patented wardrobe. Thankfully, the woman had said she could exchange the boots if she didn't like them.

"I love them, daddy. Thank you so much!" Rachel said, standing to embrace both men and kiss their cheeks.

"We only got you one thing for your birthday, but we thought you'd love it." Hiram said, sliding a pink envelope decorated with gold stars over to the diva. Sitting back down, Rachel looked at her dads before opening the present, giving out an eardrum bleeding shriek of excitement.

"_WICKED_! We're going to see _Wicked_? Really?" Rachel asked as she jumped from her chair, not being able to resist the temptation to do the happy dance she'd denied herself earlier. The men laughed along with her, delighted at her response.

"Yes we are, sweetie. The tickets are for January 16, so we'll spend the entire weekend in the city." Leroy said, chuckling again when Rachel threw her arms around him before hurrying to do the same to Hiram.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Rachel couldn't believe she was actually going to be able to see her all-time favorite musical on a Broadway stage. Sure, she'd been able to go when it'd been shown in Columbus, but it just wasn't the same. It was _Broadway_!

"You're welcome, Rachel. Now, go put all this up because breakfast is just about ready."

The newly 16 year old gave a happy nod before scooping everything up in her arms, having to wrestle with it for a minute to keep from dropping things. Somehow she managed to keep the pile in her small arms all the way to her room, where she set it on her desk. This was definitely the best birthday. Like ever!

She was just making her way downstairs when the doorbell sounded, so Rachel detoured to greet the visitor.

"Noah! What are you doing here?" Rachel asked in surprise, not expecting him to be behind the door. It was 8:30 in the morning on a Saturday, after all.

"Happy b-day, babe. Your dads invited me over to breakfast." Puck shrugged before he smirked and pulled her against him, bending his head to capture her mouth with his.

It was way too fucking early to be up on the first day of break, but Puck wasn't gonna turn the daddy Berries down. Not when he got to spend time with his sexy girl before she was taken away by others.

Rachel sighed happily against his lips as she wound her arms around his neck, leaning up on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Yep, this was definitely the best birthday she'd ever had, hands down.

"Might want to come eat while everything is still hot." The two parted at Leroy's words, faces reddening at being caught. Grabbing his large hand, Rachel pulled Puck into the house before shutting the door and heading towards the dining room, where the men had already set everything up.

"Good morning, Noah." Hiram said when the two entered, sending the teen a smile.

"Morning Mr. Berry, Mr. Berry. Thanks for inviting me over." Puck said, trying to be as respectful as possible. He and the daddy Berries got along pretty well, but he was dating their daughter, so he was always cautious. What? You'd be too if you knew for a fact that there were weapons stashed in the house, badass or not.

"Of course, Noah. You're always welcome. And we've told you to call us Hiram and Leroy."

"Now, come sit and eat." Leroy said, taking his own seat. Puck pulled out Rachel's for her, earning a beaming smile that he knew just won him points. Score.

Thankfully, at least for Rachel, they were able to get through breakfast without the two men embarrassing the teens too badly. It was always uncertain, as the two Berry men had a tendency to speak without thinking at times, which could lead to very awkward table discussions for guests.

"That was delicious, M-Leroy. I'll clean up." Puck said as he stood and placed a kiss on Rachel's forehead before collecting the dishes and making his way into the kitchen. The men watched as Rachel sighed wistfully, staring at where the boy had disappeared to. Sharing a look, Leroy gave a small grimace before they both stood.

"We have to get going, baby girl. Have a great birthday and we'll see you tomorrow."

Rachel hugged her dad's goodbye, distracted by the sound of the water running in the kitchen. She just couldn't stop thinking about Puck being in her kitchen, doing the _dishes_. It was so…domestic.

"Bye dad, daddy. Love you." The two men left after calling out a farewell to Puck, knowing they were literally giving the green light for him to ravage their daughter. While it was a father's worst nightmare, they trusted Rachel to be responsible.

And…they could see the love the two held for each other, even if they hadn't realized it yet, so they didn't want to stand in the way. Even when their stomachs were in knots over the entire thing. Being a father sucked sometimes.

Rachel made her way into the kitchen and behind Puck, sliding her arms around his waist as she rested her face against his back.

"I'm so glad you're here, Noah." Puck grinned (badassly!) as he finished rinsing a plate and set it in the drying basket.

"It's your birthday, babe. Where else would I be?" Puck asked as he turned to wrap his arms around the petite girl and give her a light kiss.

"Well, that is true. But I hadn't expected you so early." Rachel replied, enjoying the feeling of comfort and safety she got whenever Puck's arms were around her.

"It's fuckin' early as shit, but your dads just left us here alone, so I think it's a fair trade." Rachel gave a light shake of the head at his leer, leaning up to give him another kiss before pulling away.

"You're incorrigible, Noah Puckerman."

"Damn straight, babe." Puck smirked, which caused the diva to raise an eyebrow at him.

"You know what that means?" She didn't mean to sound condescending, as Puck had drastically improved his grades over the last three months, but it was still surprising.

It wasn't often Puck let others see that he was more than just a dumb jock, even though Rachel knew that he was probably one of the smartest people she knew. Book smarts would only get one so far, after all.

"Mean's I'm a lost cause. Had to look that shit up since you kept callin' me it every five minutes." Puck muttered the last part, scratching at his neck.

"Not a lost cause, Noah. Just…you're too set in your ways to change. But I like you anyways, no matter how abhorrent your vocabulary. " Rachel corrected, not wanting him to think she didn't believe in him. Because she did. She knew Noah Puckerman was meant for a lot more than just a dead end job in a backwater town like Lima, no matter what anyone said otherwise.

"You just can't get enough of the Puckasaurus." Rachel rolled her eyes as he started flexing his arms. That boy was seriously in love with his own body, that was for sure.

"Yes, of course, the 'Puckasaurus' is too hot to resist." Puck threw his arm around her shoulders, bringing her against his side as he led her out of the kitchen and towards the living room.

"I know babe. It's a hard life."

At his response, Rachel couldn't stop herself from cracking a smile at his ridiculousness. When they reached the entryway to the living room, Puck dropped his arm.

"I need to go get somethin' outta my truck."

Rachel gave a nod and watched as he quickly exited the house before she went to their DVD collection. She didn't _want_ to watch a movie, but she also wasn't sure where the day was going and she didn't want to be disappointed if it didn't end how she wanted it to.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Rachel called out when she heard the door open and close, turning her head to see Puck reenter the room, guitar case in hand. He shook his head and motioned for her to take a seat, so the petite girl slid over to the couch, where he joined her.

"Happy birthday, Rach." Puck said, handing her two black velvet boxes. One was long and thin, while the other was a square.

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything Noah. You being here with me is all I need." Rachel whispered, not really sure what to do. She'd never gotten a birthday present, or any present, from a boy.

"They're not much, since I didn't have long to save, but I wanted to get you somethin' you'd actually like." Puck mumbled, hating how his face was heating up. This was the first time, like _ever_, that he'd actually bought a gift for anyone not his ma or sis.

He just hoped she liked them because he really didn't think his ego could take it if she didn't, as he was already feeling like a pansy for all the _feelings_ he had going on. What had happened to him? Oh, right, Rachel Berry happened. Chick should seriously come with a warning label or something.

Fingers trembling, Rachel glanced up at him before opening the square box, letting out a surprised gasp when a pretty gold charm bracelet was revealed. It glinted in the light, proving it was definitely of high quality. Attached to it were five gold charms: a star, the letter 'P', the number '20', a jeweled microphone and a heart that had 'NY' carved inside it.

"Oh Noah! It's beautiful!"

Rachel's large doe eyes turned to him, filled with happy tears as she was overwhelmed with emotion. The bracelet was the epitome of where she was in her life at that moment; and there were just enough touches to symbolize Puck that she knew she'd always remember this gift and who gave it to her. And how she…how she loved him.

"I uh…I thought the charms kinda represented you, or whatever. I forgot about Hanukkah and I know there're only 5, but with the bracelet there's six and-" Puck was cut off when his lap was filled with a joyous girlfriend, her lips peppering his face with kisses before they sealed themselves against his own.

Running her hands through the strip of short hairs, Rachel couldn't stop herself from showing how she felt about him in the kiss. She might be too scared to say the words, too afraid he wouldn't feel the same way, but she could show him. And she did.

When the diva finally pulled away, Puck thought his lungs were on fire. But fuck, that kiss had been like, epic. He'd sworn, as pussy as it was, he'd been able to feel it down to his fucking toes. And it made his damn heart do that clenching thing that it'd started up, making him worried he'd have a heart attack one of these days. Which would suck, as he was too fucking hot to die this young.

"Thank you, Noah." Rachel whispered, leaning forward again to place another, more chaste, kiss on his lips. Puck rubbed his hands up and down her back, keeping her in his lap as he tried to get air back in his lungs.

"You're welcome, babe. But there's another present. This one is actually for your birthday." Puck said, reaching around her to snag the thin box and handed it to her.

Leaning back a little, so that she was sitting more on his knees than up against the bulge that had started growing, Rachel couldn't resist kissing him again before opening the box. When she saw a gold necklace with a gold 'Rachel' pendant (yes, I stole it from the show), she swore her heart was just going to leap out of her chest.

"Oh. I love it!" Rachel traced the letters, having trouble believing her boyfriend, the sex shark of McKinley, had actually bought such beautiful things for her. It was…it just proved that he was a lot more than a jock. And that he might just feel the same way about her that she did him.

"I thought about getting' you a 'Puck' one, to mark my territory. But…I wanted you to remember who _you_ are every time you see it. Remember that you're this fucking awesome diva going places and won't take any prisoners on your rise to the top."

"I…will you put it on me?" Rachel asked, lifting up her hair and twisting around as best she could. Puck's large fingers fumbled with the tiny ass clasp before he finally got the damn thing open and clipped around her neck.

Turning back around, Rachel ran her hands over his cheeks, her eyes like tractor beams that his couldn't look away from. She gave him another kiss before wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him closely; since she was in his lap. This put his face right above her tits and he was not gonna complain about that. Like, at all.

"You're an amazing boyfriend, Noah. I know…I know you want everyone else to see you as Puck, but you'll always be Noah to me. I…I know you might not…return my feelings, as it's only been a few months, but…I just wanted to tell you that I…" Rachel trailed off, not sure if she really had the courage to say the words out loud.

Puck pulled back, meeting her eyes while his own arms came up to encircle her waist, pulling her closer to him. Rachel's eyes dropped, as she couldn't keep looking at him when he had that look on in his eyes; as if he did share those feelings. It would just hurt too much when he didn't say the words.

"I have one more present for you."

Surprised at the topic shift, and thankful, Rachel's eyes darted back up to his questionably. He kissed her nose before lifting her off his lap and depositing her back on the couch as he leaned over to grab his guitar from its case. She watched as he fiddled with it for a few minutes, recognizing it as a nervous habit.

"Noah, you don't have to do this if you're uncomfortable. You've already given me so much more than I could have ever asked for." Puck sent her a small smile, one she knew not many got to see, before taking a calming breathe and turning to face her.

"I know this won't be very good, as I've only just now started fiddling with writing. But, I wrote this for you and hope you like it." Before she could ask what he meant, the mohawked teen started strumming, shooting her these shy little looks before he started singing.

"_I remember when I realized  
The depth of your beauty for the first time  
A million ears had heard you  
But none had listened quite like mine_

Every phrase that leaves your lips  
Makes me feel as if I'm paralyzed  
Talking is trivial, sing another crazy note  
And I will be the reload

The troubles that we knew before  
Disappear and all I know is that  
It makes no difference where you come from  
I don't care if you need my love  
You know I'll be there  
I swear I want to sing to the world  
No need to keep it a secret  
You are the one, the only  
My musical soulmate

Darling listen  
The audience is calling you  
(They're calling you)  
There's no way in hell that  
They will ever feel you like I do

It makes no difference where you come from  
I don't care if you need my love  
You know I'll be there  
I swear I want to sing to the world  
No need to keep it a secret  
You are the one, the only  
My musical soulmate

It makes no difference where you come from  
I don't care if you need my love  
You know I'll be there  
I swear I want to sing to the world  
No need to keep it a secret  
You are the one, the only  
My musical soulmate"

As he trailed off, all Rachel could do was stare at him in wonder. Sure, it wasn't the most amazing song she'd ever heard, but he'd _written_ it for her, which put it in a league of its own in her mind. Not able to contain herself, Rachel threw herself at him, thankful he was able to drop the guitar to the floor before she landed on him.

Puck didn't even get to ask how she liked it before her tongue was down his throat, not that he was complaining or anything. Cause he wasn't, as he'd already said Berry was a phenomenal kisser.

And her reaction soothed him, letting him know that even though the song wasn't that great overall, she still loved it. And if one of his first written songs got this reaction, he couldn't wait to see what happened when he got better at composing.

"Noah…that was…it…" Rachel mumbled, not able to actually form a full thought as she kept attacking his mouth, needing him to feel what she was feeling. By his enthusiastic response, she hoped he did.

"I take it you liked it?" Puck asked with a chuckle when their lips finally parted. Rachel just hummed in reply, her mouth moving over his face and down his neck, nipping and sucking on all the skin she came in contact with, earning a groan from him in the process.

"That was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me, Noah. I can't believe you actually _wrote_ a song for _me._" Rachel said finally, pulling away so she could look him in the face, her arms sliding over his shoulders and her fingers playing with the short hairs at the base of his skull.

"It was badass, you mean." Puck said, cringing at the 'r' word. The guys would never let him hear the end of it if they found out about this. But, it's made Berry lose her shit, so he could put up with the teasing. Besides, his fist would make anyone who made any remarks cry for their mamas, fucking no doubt.

"Yes, yes badass." Rachel agreed before claiming his mouth again, moaning against his lips as their tongues began to tango once more.

Puck couldn't stop the groan that sounded in his throat as his girl kept wiggling on his lap, rubbing against his straining erection. He'd been waiting all fucking week to have Berry to himself, as they hadn't been alone since Monday night. And he was missing having unrestricted access to all that silky skin.

Pulling back, Rachel tried to catch her breathe as she lost herself in his hazel eyes, feeling like she was falling into a bottomless pit, She knew he'd rebuke her statement if she said aloud how she thought his eyes were beautiful, so she kept that little tidbit to herself.

"Noah, I…this has been the most amazing birthday." Puck smirked at her, ego swelling at her praise. Fuck yeah he made his girl's day awesome. After all, he was Noah fucking Puckerman.

"I'm glad you liked your gifts. I know I'm not always the best with words, 'specially when they deal with _feelings_ and shit, but I wanted you to know how much…how much you mean to me." The last was said in a whisper as the teen inwardly cringed at how sappy this was getting.

"The gifts were perfect, Noah. But, what means more to me than anything is that you shared it all with me. That you stepped out of your comfort zone to make sure my day started out as spectacular as it has. I…"

Trailing off, Rachel's eyes dropped to focus on the collar of his red plaid over shirt, hands fiddling nervously with his hair as she tried to grip on to the courage to just be honest. To lay her feelings out there so that he would know just how much she cared for him. Taking a deep breath, Rachel squared her shoulders and met his questioning eyes, determined to be brave.

"I love you, Noah."

Puck felt like he'd been punched in the gut. His mouth fell open as he gaped at her, his sluggish brain trying to keep up with what was going on. But it was like the damn thing had short circuited and he couldn't think straight. But when her pretty brown eyes filled with hurt and tears, her lips beginning to tremble, Puck tried to stop being a dumbass and say something.

"Really?"

That was not the response she'd been expecting. After the prolonged silence, Rachel had thought he'd say something rude or try and brush it off. She hadn't thought he'd look at her with such bewilderment, as if he couldn't even contemplate someone having such feelings for him. For the Lima Loser.

"Yes, Noah. I realize you might not feel the same way, but I felt like you should know, as I pride myself on honesty." Rachel said, eyes dropping again along with her chin, not able to keep looking at him as pain lacerated at her heart.

"I…if you ever mention this moment to anyone, I'll deny it, but…I think I love you too." Head snapping up at the mumbled words, Rachel's large eyes met his, not believing she'd actually heard him utter that.

"You think?"

"Yeah, well, the only people I've ever loved are my sis and ma. And I don't feel like that for you, cuz that'd be messed up. But…I dunno…god I'm such a fucking pussy." At her hopeful look, Puck pinched the bridge of his nose before diving into the emotions bull, knowing he had to be honest with her no matter how pansy he felt.

"My heart does this fucking stupid clenching thing when I'm around you, and I'm always happy to see you. I don't like seeing you sad, and when Finn hit you I wanted to kill him. I like spending time with you, even if it's to do homework and I actually like your crazy. I dunno…" Puck shrugged, uncomfortable with revealing so much. He really had just lost his balls to the short Broadway bound diva.

"I feel the same way, Noah. I…I wake up and go to sleep thinking about you. The amount of time you're on my mind is actually alarming, as it leaves very little time for me to concentrate on other matters, which isn't good for my grades."

Rachel actually scowled at him at the end, as if it was his fault she couldn't concentrate. Well, actually, it was his fault. Puck just smirked at her before pulling her mouth to his, wanting to get past all this mushy shit.

Rachel allowed herself to be mauled, her heart so full that she didn't think she'd be able to contain all the love for very long. _Noah Puckerman_ _loved her, Rachel Berry!_ It was just…mind boggling If anyone had told her that she'd be in such a long and loving relationship with the school's biggest bully and manwhore, she'd demand they check themselves into the psych ward at the hospital.

But here they were, still together after three months and actually in love. What she felt for the fellow Jew completely bypassed everything she'd ever felt before, telling the girl that this was real love. True love. Adult love. And she couldn't be happier.

Slowly pulling her lips from his, Rachel smiled down at him before she moved out of his lap. At Puck's pout, Rachel just smiled and grabbed his hand, signaling she wanted him to get up. Sighing at the loss of his sexy girlfriend, Puck rose from the couch, his large hand swallowing her tiny one.

His eyes widened as she pulled him towards the stairs, not believing he was actually going to get to score. They might not be sleeping together yet, but he could clearly read the signs and Rachel Berry wanted some Puckster attention. Which he was 100% happy to supply.

Rachel led him up the stairs and through the star marked door, her decision cementing in her mind. She'd been ready to take the final step with Puck for a few weeks now, but after hearing him proclaim his love for her, she couldn't wait any longer. She had to have him, had to show him that she returned his feelings whole heartedly.

"Noah, I want you to make love to me." Rachel whispered, staring up into his eyes, delighting in the look of shock that flashing in them.

"R-really? You're ready for that?"

Okay, so his response was totally unbadass, but she just surprised him is all. He'd been waiting for months now to get in her pants, and after the ordeal he'd just survived, he hadn't expected to be getting laid today; so he was allowed the pansy moment, thank you very fucking much.

"Yes." Rachel smiled before leaning up to kiss him. That was all the incentive Puck needed.

Rachel let out a small squeal of surprise when she was suddenly lifted into a pair of strong arms before being lowered onto her pink and orange comforter, Puck leaning over her with the most sensual look she'd ever seen. It was so erotic that Rachel could feel herself actually getting wet, just by a look.

"I'm gonna rock your world so good, babe."

Rachel gave him a sexy little smirk as she scooted back on the bed so she was against her pillows. Puck kicked off his shoes and pulled off his over shirt before joining her, laying his body over hers so he could capture her into a toe curling kiss.

When they separated, Puck started kissing and nipping at her neck, wanting to leave a mark so everyone knew just who she belonged to. Rachel sighed in pleasure at his ministrations, running her hands over his scalp and down to his shoulders, giving his shirt a little impatient tug.

Chuckling, Puck sat up and pulled the garment off, tossing it away carelessly. Before he could retake his position, Rachel had also sat up and began skimming her hands over the broad expense of tanned skin, soon following the trail with her lips. When she reached the ring on his left nipple, Rachel lapped at the bud before giving the metal a gentle tug, which resulted in his hips jerking.

Switching to the other small bud, Rachel paid it its due, having read that male nipples were just as sensitive as female ones. Just because they weren't attached to a pair of breasts did not mean they should be neglected. And if Puck's little groans were any indication, the magazine had been correct.

Trailing her lips up from his nipple, Rachel sucked at the tight skin of his neck, delighting when it turned red. Take that! Now he was marked as well and she couldn't deny how ridiculously pleased she was with that result. Cresting his chin, she lightly snagged his full bottom lip between her teeth before sucking it into her mouth.

Groaning, Puck wrapped one hand around her neck and pulled her flush against him, taking over the kiss, demanding entrance with his tongue. Which the horny brunette was more than happy to allow, even though she battled with her own weapon, not allowing him complete dominance.

When there was no oxygen left in his lungs, Puck pulled away and his hands dropped to the bottom of her shirt, tugging it up and over her head. He'd be a lying bastard if he said his breathe didn't catch at the sight of her, all the dewy tanned skin with pretty mounds encased in soft pink lace. She was just so damn sexy that he had no control over how his body reacted to her, so shut the fuck up.

"You're so hot, baby."

Rachel beamed at him, taking pride in such a statement. She worked hard to keep her body in tip top shape, with her workouts, cheerleading and dance classes, so she felt justified in such pride. And the fact that Noah Puckerman, who'd been with more woman than she'd ever want to know about, thought she was hot was an ego boost that she hoped to always have access to.

"You're very handsome yourself, Noah." Rachel said, her voice going husky as Puck's fingertips skimmed down her back until he got to the clasp, which was deftly undone. Allowing the barrier to slide off her shoulders, Rachel tossed it over the bed, not caring where it landed as Puck drank the sight in.

Leaning down, he kissed her deeply, wanting her to know just how fucking amazing he thought she was. Not only in looks, but in everything. And yes, the Puck from the beginning of the school year would kick his ass for how he was acting, but he couldn't find the will to care.

He'd finally found someone who thought something of him, who _loved_ him, faults and all, and Puck wasn't ready to let that go, no matter how pussy whipped that made him. Better being whipped by a kick ass girl like Berry than to be alone feeling like shit; he'd take Berry every time.

Sighing happily, Rachel laid back against her pillows and crooked her finger at him, giggling when he threw himself on top of her, catching his weight on his arms so as not to crush the small girl. Running her hands over his bare chest, Rachel couldn't stop herself from pressing another kiss to his lips.

"I love you." Puck grinned down at her (yes, an honest to god grin) and nipped at her full lips.

"Love you too, babe."

The words came a little easier the second time and the blinding smile she gave him made the slight discomfort worth it. They shared another kiss before Puck moved down, wanting to get things moving, as his erection was making its impatiens known.

When his face was eye level with her perky girls, Puck sent a smirk up at her before lowering his mouth to the right nub, flicking his tongue back and forth as the flesh began to harden. Not wanting the other tit to feel neglected, Puck cupped the warm flesh in his large hand, thumb stroking over the puckered flesh in time with his tongue movements.

Rachel moaned as he fondled her, gripping the comforter in her hands as she was swarmed with pleasure. Everything was so much more intense now, and Rachel had to guess that it was a result from them sharing their feelings, as nothing else could explain why his ministrations were affecting her so.

The saying that everything was better when it was shared between people who loved each other must be true then, as the attention her breasts were receiving was making her begin to see stars already.

Switching to the other boob, Puck smirked around the nub in his mouth at the sounds Rachel was making. Fuck yeah! Shit was hot! If he could get her to have a boob-gasm, that would just cement his status as the best forever, and Puck threw himself into trying to get such a reaction.

To accomplish this, he released the nipple and started lightly stroking the entire mound, paying special attention to the underside. Dudes who thought only the peaks were sensitive were idiots, as the whole body was like a giant nerve.

Obviously, there were certain points that were extra sensitive, but not paying attention to the rest of the body just because the chick didn't react as strongly was retarded. It was like that epic blow job Berry had given him in the bathroom; she'd enhanced the entire thing by making him hyper sensitive, which he wanted to do to her.

Skimming his lips after his fingers, Puck lightly kissed than licked at her flesh, smirking as she continued to let out little moans and whimpers of pleasure, her hips wiggling as she tried to find some friction. Keeping his hands constantly moving, Puck mapped out her entire chest with his mouth, not leaving any stretch of creamy skin untouched before returning to her straining tips.

When the warmth of Puck's mouth returned to her tight nubs, Rachel couldn't stop the whimper that was wrenched from her throat. Her head thrashed on her pillow, not believing how much pleasure he was able to give her by simply fondling her breasts.

With each suckle, electricity shot from the throbbing flesh down to her core, making it pulse with need and flood her panties. The pulsating only continued to intensify as he kneaded one breast and sucked on the other, adding his teeth to the mix to heighten her pleasure even more. It was too much, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Noah! It's…I'm gonna…Ugh!" Rachel groaned, her back arching, pushing her chest further into his face, as the tightness in her stomach suddenly released. It wasn't that powerful of an orgasm, but it still left pleasure coursing through her veins.

"Fuck yeah, that was awesome." Puck said, releasing the nipple he'd been tormenting to smirk down at the panting diva. Rachel's eyes were screwed tightly shut as she tried to regain control over herself, not understanding _how_ that had just happened.

"What…how…" Puck's smirk grew at her confused words, her eyes slowly opening to lock onto his smug face.

"That, baby, was a boob-gasm. Shit's fucking epic."

"Noah, really, can't you speak without such vulgar language at the present time?" As she huffed, Puck couldn't resist leaning down for another kiss. Even after just getting off, the chick was still so uptight. He'd just have to do something about that.

"Not likely." Rachel rolled her eyes at his words, too content to really be bothered.

Pushing against his chest, Rachel waited until he'd moved to lean against the headboard before she moved towards him. Puck's erection was straining painfully against his jeans, sending out a distress signal to any that'd listen; good thing Rachel seemed to be tuned in.

Sending him a sexy little grin, Rachel made quick work of opening his jeans and jerking them down his hips, which he lifted to help her out. See, he could be a gentleman. Rachel pulled the jeans and boxers down his muscular legs, her fingers lightly skimming skin as she pulled them off. Throwing the clothes over the side of the bed, Rachel refocused on the large, throbbing erection that was demanding attention.

Running her nails over his thighs, she smirked as his cock twitched, its head weeping in agony at being ignored. Reaching it, Rachel swiped her thumb over the head, collecting the moisture and bringing it to her mouth, relishing in the groan the action caused her boyfriend to emit.

She sucked on her thumb for a moment, eyes rising to meet his heated gaze before she released the digit and leaned down to pepper the dick with kisses. Slowly allowing her tongue to join the party, Rachel curled the muscle around his girth as much as she could, pulling back and allowing him to slide over her appendage, delighting in his taste.

Reaching the head once more, Rachel swirled her tongue around it several times before she plunged her face back down, letting it go all the way down. Puck's hips gave a violent jerk and his moan was unmistakable when he suddenly felt himself encased in her throat.

How this small ass midget managed to take his dick all the way into her throat was still a mystery to him; not that he was complaining or anything. Fuck no. Shit was amazing. And when she added humming to the mix, he knew he'd lose his shit before he'd even gotten to the main course.

Rachel gave a little pout when her shoulders were pulled back, making her have to release the cock from its second favorite enclosure. But the primal look that had taken over Puck's features sent heat coursing through her, so Rachel let it go.

Puck flipped the petite teen under him, earning a look of surprise and lust before he moved down her body. Giving each boob a few sucks and licks, just to make sure they were both still paying attention, he moved down until he'd reached her sweats. Sliding his fingers under the elastic of them and then the lace panties underneath, Puck quickly pulled them from her, wanting, _needing_, to see her.

And what a sigh she made, all tan skin and long legs. How such a short girl managed to have legs for miles was something he'd never understand, as it really should be impossible. Running his hands up those appendages, Puck smirked at her before pulling her thighs apart, revealing her soaking center to her perusal.

Moving one hand from her thigh, Puck let his fingertips lightly trace the petal soft lips before dipping inside, spreading the wetness around so that there wasn't an inch that wasn't covered in her want. Smirking as her breathe began to quicken, Puck slowly let one finger sink into her tight channel, earning a moan as her inner muscles clamped down.

"Gotta get you stretched out a little babe. Don't wanna hurt you, since it's been awhile." Rachel didn't acknowledge his words, too busy wiggling her hips to try and get more friction down below.

Leaning down, Puck claimed her mouth with his as he pumped his finger in and out several times before adding a second, causing her to tear her mouth away to let out a cock twitching mewl as she clutched onto his shoulders to stay anchored.

"So fuckin' hot." Puck's words were a whisper as he stared down at her, wondering what he'd ever done to deserve her.

"Noah! Please! I can't take it anymore. I need you!" Rachel exclaimed, her nails digging into his shoulders as her hips jerked against his hand.

"Are you sure, Rachel?"

Eyes meeting, she couldn't have prevented her heart from bursting with happiness and love if she'd even bothered trying. The fact that he'd still stop if she wanted to just proved that this is what she wanted, what she needed.

"Yes Noah, I'm sure."

Giving a little nod, he removed his fingers and wrapped his hand around himself, letting her fluids coat him. Rachel moaned when he trailed his cock up and down her cleft, tapping against her clit and making her legs twitch with every upward movement. When he was satisfied with the amount of lube, Puck took a breath and met her eyes.

Reaching forward, Rachel pulled Puck's face to hers until their mouths were once more locked; only this time the kiss was more like a dance instead of a battle, slow and sensual. Gripping the backs of her knees, Puck pulled her legs up around his hips until she locked her ankles together and he was able to use a hand to align himself.

Instead of thrusting forward rapidly, Puck took a slow pace, sliding himself inside her at a painstaking speed, relishing in the feel of her silky walls closing in around him. Rachel moaned into his mouth as his hips gradually moved forward, her walls clutching onto him, not wanting to let him back out.

When he was finally fully seated inside, he remained still for a few minutes, focusing on kissing her while she got used to his size. It was a only due to his extensive experience that allowed him to do so, as he really wanted nothing more than to begin thrusting like a wild beast, desperate for release.

"Noah…please." Rachel whispered against his lips, hoping he'd start moving before she went insane.

Taking the hint, Puck locked eyes with her before he reversed his actions, pulling out slowly until only the head remained. Staring at each other, unable to look away, they both groaned when he repeated himself, the thrust long and drawn out.

Even though it felt like their skin would alight at any moment, the two set an unhurried pace, relishing in being with the other the way they should have been the first time around. Their gazes never wavered, unless they were kissing, and Rachel swore she'd never felt closer to another human being before in her life.

When the pleasure began to build, Puck's hips began thrusting faster as a hand slid down her body to rub her pearl, making the diva moan and mewl in pleasure as she met his plunges. Feeling her walls begin to flutter, Puck stroked her cheek with his free hand and smiled down at her, his other hand never ceasing its attentions.

"I love you, Rachel Berry." Shuddering as his words sent electricity through her, Rachel leaned up and kissed him.

"I love you too, Noah Puckerman." He'd deny ever having such a goofy look on his face, but he got a kick out of her saying those words, no matter how unbadass that was. And he figured he'd eventually get used to saying them back.

"Come for me baby. Milk me."

His words had their desired effect, as her walls clenched down on him and her back arched, a loud moan being ripped from her throat as she shuddered. Feeling his nads clench up, Puck let himself go, spilling his warm seed into her, making the teen moan louder as another, smaller orgasm shook through her system.

When the pulsing had finally stopped and he'd begun to shrink, Puck rolled over to lie beside her, trying to catch his breath. Rachel, her own chest heaving, moved so she could rest against him, her head on his chest and leg thrown over his.

"That was…"

"Yeah."

Nothing more really needed to be said, because it was clear that that had definitely been the best sex either had ever had. It was deep and meaningful and all that mushy crap, and the two felt connected, even if they wouldn't voice such feelings. Noah Puckerman had had his fill of being such a girl for the rest of his life.

Rachel squirmed around until she was able to pull the blanket back, making Puck do the same so that they could snuggle down underneath it and the top sheet. It was a little painful, being under such blindingly pink sheets, but with Rachel pressed up against him and his body still blissed out, Puck got over it. Naked Rachel Berry definitely outweighed pink sheets, hands down.

/*/

Rolling over, Puck was disappointed to find the space next to him vacant, his hot ass girl missing. Slowly raising to a sitting position, Puck scratched at his face before sliding from the bed and sauntering over to the bathroom.

But the diva wasn't there either, so after relieving himself, Puck threw on his jeans and made his way downstairs in search of Rachel. He was hoping to get a couple more rounds in before he had to leave to set up for the party at Santana's house, and in order to do that, he'd need the brunette.

Making his way into the kitchen, Puck was met with one of the sexiest sights he'd ever seen. Rachel was wiping the counters, having washed and loaded the pans from breakfast into the dishwasher, in nothing but his red plaid shirt. And since she was a midget, it hung down almost to her knees, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

Turning to wipe the bar, Rachel let out a shriek of surprise when she spotted Puck leaning against the door frame, jeans still unbuttoned and slung low on his hips. Clutching dramatically at her pounding heart, Rachel tried to calm her breathing, which wasn't helped when he sent her a smirk.

"Don't do that Noah! You just about gave me a heart attack." Rachel reprimanded before turning back to the bar and wiping it down. She tensed up for a moment before relaxing when his hard body suddenly appeared behind hers, pressing her into the marbled surface.

"Serves you right for not being in bed." His voice was a husky whisper against her ear, making the girl's body give an involuntary shudder that turned into a low moan when he trailed his lips down from her ear to her neck.

"I-I thought I would get the house cleaned up while you slept. Unlike males, females do not have the chemical reaction inside the brain that makes them want sleep after intercourse. On the contrary, women's brains tell them they want to cuddle and feel close to their partner after being intimate; so after allowing myself an allotted time of cuddling, I decided to be productive instead of joining you in slumber."

How she managed a coherent thought, let alone that little speech while Puck was sucking and licking at her flesh was unknown to her. But she was proud of herself for being able to keep her mind focused, as she knew that once he really started working her body, she'd be useless to conversation. Not that the two would be doing much talking in the next few hours, if she was reading Puck's signals correctly.

"Babe, I don't wanna talk about that right now." Puck rolled his eyes as he released her neck, smirking down at the star shaped bruise that was forming. Fuck yeah he was awesome. Hands on her luscious hips, Puck turned her before picking her up and depositing her on top of the bar.

Before she could respond verbally, he'd already claimed her lips with his, making her toes curl and her arms come up around him to hold him close. She wrapped her legs around his waist and combed her hands through his mohawk, sighing against his lips in pleasure.

Letting his hands slide up her bare thighs, Puck pushed the material of his shirt up, exposing the rest of her thighs and the fact that she hadn't replaced her panties when she'd wandered down stairs. Score.

"Wait. Wait." Rachel said, wrenching her mouth away from his, knowing she needed to think logically before she allowed herself to be overcome with lust.

Puck pouted at her, although he moved his attention to slowly unbuttoning the large shirt, knowing there was no way Berry could resist him for long. Not after the mind blowing sex they'd had. There was no way she had that much self-control, and he was going to make sure she was screaming his name within the next twenty minutes.

"Noah, really! I'm serious about not doing this right now!" Pulling back to stare at her incredulously, Puck couldn't believe she was actually serious.

"Why babe? We've proven that we're awesome in bed and you know how I feel, so what's the problem?"

"Yes, we exceeded my expectations grandly, Noah, but we were also irrisponisble. I may be on birth control, but with your history I do not feel comfortable being intimate with you again without having more protection. And seeing as I've already covered my base, I think it's only fair that it is your responsibility to carry a condom with you if you wish to partake in intercourse with me. And since I don't have any at the moment, we cannot indulge in our urges until that problem is remedied. I do not want to end up pregnant because we only used birth control and it failed."

Puck's mind raced to keep up with her quick speech, his lips turning into a smirk as he got what she was saying. Course he was with the most cautious girl in all of Lima, Ohio, so he really should have seen this coming. But he was the Puckster, and was always prepared. _Especially_ because of his history.

"I got you covered babe, no worries." Rachel arched a brow as he quickly moved away from her and headed towards the living room. Sliding down from the countertop, Rachel followed him to spy him removing his wallet from his guitar case before replace the instrument that had laid forgotten.

Turning around to face her, Puck pulled a couple foil packages from his wallet and held them up to her scrutiny, a smug look on his face. Rachel bit her lip, her heart beginning to pound as she realized that they _could_ be together once more. Thank the man above for Puck being prepared.

"Oh." Smirking wider at her breathy reply, Puck tossed his walled on the couch before striding towards her, scooping her up in his arms. She clutched on to his shoulder as he bounded up the stairs, trying to keep herself tucked into his body so she didn't hit the walls.

Reaching her girlie ass room, Puck tossed her on the bed, delighting in the way she bounced a little, his shirt flaring up to flash creamy skin. Setting the condoms on the side table, Puck followed her down and captured her mouth, his jean covered cock pushing into her mound as her legs cradled him.

Gasping for breath, Rachel arched her back as he returned to unbuttoning the plaid shirt, pushing the sides away so he could get to the prize. He thought about giving her another boob-gasm, but his cock was throbbing painfully and he really just wanted to pound her into the mattress.

"Noah." Smirking at her raspy call, Puck lowered his head to take a puckered nipple into his mouth and suckle it for a couple of minutes before moving to the other.

Rachel's hands clutched at his head, desperate to keep his attention focused as electric shocks coursed through her body, traveling until they ended in her neither reasons, making it begin to pulse with need.

"Noah, please, no fore play. I just want you inside me." He could never get over how she managed to stay so proper when fooling around. This just enhanced how awesome it was when he made her loose that cool as his dick gave it to her good. An out of control Rachel Berry was fuckin' epic.

"You want my cock, baby? Is that what you want?" Moaning at his words, Rachel tried to ground her hips up into his, needed relief. Chuckling, Puck ran a hand down her body until his fingers grazed her folds, earning another moan.

"You gotta tell me, Rachel. Tell me what you need." The sound of her actual name on his lips, while his fingers stroked up and down her cleft had the diva shuddering.

"Yes! Yes I need your…cock inside me!" She wasn't used to being so unrestrained, as she'd only ever been so when being intimate with Puck. But he smirked down at her and lowered his head to give her a deep kiss, showing he appreciated her effort.

"You're so fuckin' sexy when you talk dirty, baby. Gets my cock hard just hearing those pretty lips say naughty things."

As he continued to whisper to her, Rachel mewled as his fingers plunged inside her, giving her a few good strokes to make sure she was ready. Which she was, as she was so wet he'd be surprised if there wasn't a damp spot on the sheets.

Pulling away from her, he slid his two fingers into his mouth to savor her flavor before reaching for a foil package. Rachel watched him with hooded eyes, her chest heaving, as he ripped it open and slid it down his mammoth erection, the sight more erotic than she'd ever thought it could be. Smirking down at her once done, Puck gave her another kiss before settling against her pillows.

Before she could question why he wasn't ravaging her, Puck pulled her up on top of him, her knees nestling on either side of his hips. Eyes wide at the new position, Rachel stared down at his cocky face as he slowly lifted her hips in his hands before lowering her down.

Throwing her head back, Rachel's let out a moan so loud he was thankful her parents were gone. It took a few strokes before Rachel felt confident enough to take over, but when she did Puck thought the head on his shoulders was gonna explode before the one inside her. Because the girl, who had very little experience, took off running with this new position, adding hip swivels ever few seconds.

"Fuck." Grinning at his muttered expletive, Rachel leaned over him so her tits were mushed against his chest and the shirt brushed lightly over his thighs and stomach. Leaning his head up, Puck gave her full lips a little nip before swirling his tongue inside, mimicking their thrusts.

"Oh! Noah! Right there. Feels so fucking good." See, she was fucking hot when she lost her shit. Gripping her hips tightly, Puck pulled her face back down to his and picked up the pace, their hips meeting in a brutal dance that had stars popping behind her eye lids.

This new position had him hitting that spongy area inside her with every thrust, making it impossible for her to think of anything other than 'ohs' and 'ahs' and the occasional 'fuck' to say. Sitting back up and breaking their kiss, Rachel leaned back until she was bracing herself on her hands and her back was arched as her hips continued to surge downward.

Not being able to, or wanting to, resist, Puck reached up and started fondling her breasts, giving each peak little tugs and twists. His efforts were rewarded with sexy little whimpers as the short girl started getting frantic, her hips losing their rhythm as her insides seemed to explode.

Wanting to draw out her orgasm, Puck lowered one hand so his fingers could flick against her clit. Which made Rachel let out her loudest moan, followed by his name as she spasmed around him, her silky walls closing down around him to strangle his cock. His name had never heard so good.

"That's it, baby, just let go." Giving a couple more thrusts, which had her shuddering again as her body rocked with aftershocks, Puck soon followed her and jazzed into the condom with a groan.

Breathing heavily, Rachel's body went limp as she fell forward, face nestling into his own heaving chest. The two remained like that as they tried to calm down, their hearts pounding so loudly in their ears that they couldn't have heard anything other than that if they'd tried. When she finally had motor control once more, Rachel rolled off him to lay next to him.

"That was…"

"Fuck yeah it was." Puck said, leaning over to give her a heated kiss before he stood and disposed of the used latex. Going into the bathroom to grab a wet wash cloth, he returned after cleaning himself off and gave her the rag.

"Thanks." Puck just nodded as he lay back down, throwing an arm over his eyes as Rachel wiped herself. Tossing the dirty towel in the hamper, Rachel snuggled back against him, the arm over his face falling to wrap around her.

"So, are gonna do the whole cuddle thing or are you gonna leave me to clean something else?" Smiling against his pectoral muscle at his question, Rachel threw a leg over his hips and pulled the blanket up to cover them.

"If you do not fall asleep again, I think a cuddle would be a great way to end this round before we start another one." Smirking up at the ceiling at her words, Puck pulled her flush against him. He'd unleashed a sex monster, not that he was complaining. He'd be more than happy to see to any and all her needs any time of day or night.

"Sounds like a plan to me. So how do you feel about shower sex?"

**AN: Okay, so I know this chapter was totally shorter than what y'all were expecting, but I've gotten sick and couldn't write anymore because my head will not stop throbbing. So I will write up and update the next chapter as soon as this cold clears, I promise! **

**Now, please REVIEW! They make me happy and keep me motivated to write more and update faster. I know I've been gone for a while, but I'm promising I'm trying to get back in the swing of this story.**

**So please, REVIEW! I feel like shit and they'd make my day a little brighter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Okay, so here's the second part of the Winter Break chapter. I'm still feeling ill, but thankfully Dayquil keeps my head pretty clear. Thanks for the awesome reviews for the last chapter!**

Guest: Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you'll like this one just as much and leave another review.

aussiegleek18: Thanks! Coming from you that means a lot! I hope you like this chapter too!

Chapter 12: Winter Break, Part 2

"We really need to get dressed, Noah, or we're not ever going to leave the house." Rachel murmured, her face nuzzled into his chest. They'd gotten out of the shower almost twenty minutes ago, and she knew that she needed to blow dry her hair soon.

"I know babe." Puck's voice was a grimace, the thought of abandoning the diva's comfortable bed disappointing. But she was right, and they had shit to do today, or else Santana was going to go all Lima Heights on their asses.

Sighing, Rachel pulled away from him and stood, tightening the towel around herself so that they didn't get side tracked again. Puck just laid there watching as she moved around the room, hoping the towel would get dislodged by all the movement.

"Could you strip the bed after you get dressed? I want to wash the sheets."

He found it adorable (shut up) that her face heated at the statement, the more innocent girl coming forward as the sex kitten went into hiding. How she could be the two at the same time blew his mind and just knowing what a freak she could actually be in bed while keeping that chaste face on had him going to half-mast in an instant.

"Sure, babe."

Giving a little nod, Rachel ducked back into the bathroom, making sure to firmly close the door. She thought about locking it, just to prove she meant it about getting ready, but she didn't want to put a barrier between them. Besides, she hoped to have her hair dry by the time Puck returned from putting the linens in the laundry room.

Puck groaned to himself before rolling off the bed, letting the towel fall to the floor as he searched for his clothes. It took some time, as the articles were strewn all around the room, but he was finally redressed and set about pulling the sheets from the bed.

He also picked up her used clothes and dumped them into the hamper, making sure the room was clean once more. No need to outright alert the daddy Berries to their activities, even though they already knew what was going to happen when they left that morning.

Grabbing the hamper, he made his way down the hall and into the guest bathroom, which also housed the washer and dryer behind some pocket doors.

After living with his ma for 16 years, he knew girls had clothes that couldn't go in the washer and shit because they shrunk or changed colors. So to be safe and save himself a rant, Puck only loaded the sheets into the washer, feeling safe since they were simple cotton.

If they'd been anything else, he'd had said fuck it, because he wasn't willing to lose the ground they'd covered today. Satisfied he hadn't done anything to upset the drama queen, Puck made his way back into her room to see her pulling skinny jeans on over a pair of dark purple silk panties.

"Damn babe. I don't know how you expect me not to jump your bones when you wear shit like that." Jumping in surprise, Rachel turned to look at his leering face. Rolling her eyes, she pulled up the zipper and made sure the jeans were secure before turning towards the bed.

"I would hope that you'd have developed better impulse control as you've aged, Noah." Okay, so Rachel may be being mean a little, as she was purposefully facing him now so that he could see her front, but he'd get over it.

Her toned tummy gleamed in the light and the silk bra did this awesome push and lift thing to her tits, making Puck want to bury his face in the mounds. Sexy little minx knew exactly what she was doing.

"Rach, 'impulse control' is the last thing on my mind." Puck said, hand sliding down his front to rest against his jean covered member suggestively.

Giving a small laugh, Rachel pulled the pink and white striped rugby sweater from the bed and pulled it over her head. Puck had to fight back a groan as she continued to tease him, knowing they had to get out of the room soon or he wouldn't be able to control himself.

Straightening the sweater out, Rachel fixed her curled hair before grabbing her socks and sitting to pull them on; followed by the boots her fathers had gotten her. She'd bought the top when she'd had the little melt down a few months ago, so she hoped it met with her friends' approval as it wasn't something she'd normally wear.

Watching Rachel get dressed was a lot more hot then he'd ever thought it could be, since she was actually covering all her luscious skin and all. But Puck found himself getting even more turned on, if that was possible, the more items she wiggled into. God he was so fucking whipped it wasn't even funny.

Smiling to herself, Rachel stood to retrieve the star earrings and the fleece jacket from her pile of presents, along with a black crochet beret, before turning to her boyfriend, who hadn't moved from his position of leaning against her doorframe.

"Thank you for taking the sheets to the laundry room, Noah. I'm just going to go start them and I'll meet you downstairs."

"I already did."

"Oh…thank you, that was very thoughtful of you." Rachel beamed at him, making his heart do that clenching shit again. He really was gonna die of a heart attack, as this had to be unhealthy.

"No probs, babe." Puck said with a shrug, trying to downplay how unbadass he felt at the moment. But he decided to overlook it when she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a loving kiss, figuring it was worth it to get such a reaction.

Pulling away, Rachel gave him another soft smile before turning back to the bed to grab a bag he hadn't noticed before.

"What's that for?"

"My dad said Santana asked if I could stay the night, so I thought it would be a good idea to pack an overnight bag." Rachel replied as she unplugged her phone charger from the wall to put inside the bag. Seeing her alert light flashing, she flipped open the phone to see several missed calls and text from her friends.

"It appears as if our activities have kept me sufficiently unawares of the outside world." At his confused look, Rachel showed him the missed calls, which only earned a shrug.

"We had important things to do, babe. The rest of the gleeks can just get over it." Rolling her eyes at him, knowing no matter how many times she asked him not to call them that that he wouldn't stop, Rachel slung the bag and jacket over her arm and headed out of the room.

"I'll just call them in a few minutes to make sure everything is alright. I don't know when Santana wanted me to come over, so I'd better call her soon."

Puck followed her downstairs as she continued to ramble, not really bothering with concentrating on the conversation. His girl was in some tight as fuck jeans, so he was side tracked.

"Sounds like a plan, babe."

The two made their way into the living room and Puck thought he'd better check his own phone, knowing it'd probably gotten just as blown up as Rachel's. This proved a correct assumption, as he had almost ten missed called from Satan and several from Mike and Matt.

"Noah, will you help me?" Turning to look at her, he saw Rachel holding the charm bracelet up next to her wrist. Stepping over to her, he fumbled with the clasp before getting it secure. The makers of those things seriously had it out for guys with their small ass locks.

"Thank you." Rachel said softly before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his face downward. Puck wrapped his own arms around her, pulling her flush against him as their mouths started the very familiar tango once more.

When they pulled away, Rachel rested her face against his shoulder, content to just stand there with him. After the amazing morning they'd shared, she was reluctant to let the rest of the world back into their love bubble.

Knowing how uncomfortable he'd be if others found out he'd confessed his feelings, Rachel knew she had to relish this time together as much as possible because he would probably clam up once they were no longer alone.

"I love you, Noah. You've made this the most amazing birthday I could have ever imagined." Stroking a large hand over her tresses, Puck could feel his ego swell just a little at her words. Hell yeah he'd made today awesome.

"I love you too, Rachel." He didn't miss the happy noise she made at his words, or the way her arms tightened around him. They were interrupted when her phone started buzzing angrily on the couch where she'd set it, making the two separate with sheepish looks before she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"It's about damn time, Berry! Do you know how many times I've called you? What the fuck have you been doing that you've been ignoring my calls?"

"Hello to you too, Santana."

Puck chuckled as he heard the angry Latina, her voice clearly traveling from the phone because of her volume. He moved away from the short diva to slip his wallet into his back pocket and stuff his over shirt into his guitar case, not able to actually wear it since he couldn't get the picture of Rachel in it out of his mind.

"Chica, you better be happy it's your birthday or else I'd go all Lima Heights on you. You need to get your ass moving, as we're almost to your house."

The line went dead suddenly and Rachel just stared at her phone for a moment before clicking it shut. Sometimes she still wondered why or how she was friends with Santana.

"I think I'm in trouble." Puck chuckled at her words, pulling her against him for another deep kiss before he reached over and grabbed his jacket.

"She'll get over it, babe. I gotta head out, though."

Pouting, Rachel watched as he pulled on his jacket, not wanting him to leave. But it was for the best, especially since she had a whole lot of angry Latina headed her way. Grabbing her own jacket, she pulled it on and fixed the beret on her head before linking her arm with his.

"I'll walk you to your truck." Puck just kissed the top of her head and headed towards the door, his guitar case clutched in one hand.

The two were half way to his truck when Santana's cherry red mustang pulled up to the curb, making Rachel sigh a little. It figured it would be her luck that they'd arrive before Puck was gone.

"You've ignored me for _Puck_? That's fucked up, B." Santana said as she stepped from her car, sending a glare towards the mohawked boy. Brittany also got out of the car, sending a happy wave their way.

"I did not mean to ignore you, Santana. My phone was on vibrate and I simply did not hear it." Rachel replied, which earned an eye roll from the other Cheerio. Ignoring her friend, Rachel let Puck pull her the rest of the way to his truck, where he spent a few minutes playing tonsil hockey with her before releasing her.

"Is your house open, Lopez?" Puck called out as he stashed his guitar in the cab.

"Yeah, Mike and Matt are already there. Now release my girl so we can get going."

Chuckling a little, Puck leaned down for another quick kiss before he lightly pushed her away, giving her rump a slap. Yelping a little, Rachel turned wide eyes at him, but he just smirked at her as he climbed into his truck.

Shaking her head at her incorrigible boyfriend, Rachel stepped away from the vehicle so he could start the engine and pull away, headed towards Santana's to help set up. Turning to see her two friends staring at her, Rachel blushed before rushing back to the house to grab her overnight bag and small black purse. Setting the alarm and locking the door, Rachel turned back to make her way over to her friends.

"Happy birthday, Ray!" Brittany said excitedly once she'd reached them, pulling the small girl into a hug.

"Thanks, Britt." Rachel replied as she was released, smiling at her bubbly friend. She didn't care what anyone said about her, the blonde was one of the most remarkable people she'd ever met.

"Yeah, happy b-day, Rach. Now let's go." Santana grumbled as she got back into the driver's seat. Rachel knew she'd get over her irritation in a few minutes so just slid into the backseat, pulling her phone from her jacket pocket when she felt if buzz.

_*D't let S torture u 2 much. C u in a few hours. Luv you, babe. U look beautiful by the way.*_

Smiling to herself and feeling her stomach flutter with butterflies, Rachel sent a quick reply, amazed at how much she loved Noah Puckerman.

_*I'm sure Santana will get over her anger in a little while. Besides, her ill temper is definitely worth it, as I wouldn't have changed anything from this morning. Thank you for the complement, and I think you look quiet handsome yourself. I love you too. I can't wait to spend more time with you.*_

_*U & me both. I cn't wait to peel those jeans off u and explr that silk underneath.*_

_*We'll have to figure something out, then. See you later.*_

Blushing, Rachel put her phone in her purse and saw Santana giving her a knowing little smirk from the rearview mirror. Biting her lip, Rachel tried to fight down the blush as she fidgeted in her seat.

"So what've you gotten for your birthday, Ray?" Brittany asked, turning to peer over the seat at her with a wide smile.

"Uh…my dads got me tickets to see _Wicked_ in January and several other things, since we've all seemed to forgotten Hanukkah this year."

"What's Hanukkah?" Brittany asked with a confused look, making Rachel smile softly at her.

"It's a Jewish holiday, Britt. It's basically our Christmas, only it lasts for eight days and nights and you give people small little gifts for each night." She knew there was a whole lot more to the holiday and traditions, but knowing her friend got confused easily, the brunette figured she'd keep it as simple as possible.

"Oh…so you don't get presents from Santa?" Seeing how serious she was, Rachel's eyes met Santana's in the mirror before she shook her head.

"No, uh…Santa only brings gifts for…Christians. It uh…goes against our beliefs to get presents from him, since we've already gotten them from Hanukkah." Grasping at straws, Rachel just hoped that Brittany believed her, as it was apparent the blonde still believed in Saint Nick.

"Oh…have you written to him? Because I'm sure Santa would be happy to give you more presents, as long as you're good. And you're like the nicest person I know, so he should give you presents." At a loss for words, Rachel could only nod.

"Uh…sure Britt, you're right. I'll write him and hopefully he'll visit me this year." Sending a nod at her, Santana pulled into the mall's parking lot, glad her friend always seemed to be able to spare Brittany from feeling stupid.

"Alright, let's get this shit done." Climbing from the vehicle, the three made their way into the mall, Rachel's pinkies linked with her friends'.

"Where are we going?"

"We're meeting Lady Lips and Wheezy at the spa." Santana replied, leading them towards their destination. Before Rachel could reprimand her friend, she spotted Kurt and Mercedes sitting outside the spa, reading fashion magazines.

"Hey guys!" Rachel smiled, earning grins from her two newest friends.

"Hey, Rachel. Happy birthday." Mercedes said, standing. They might still be on shaky ground, as she still found the petite girl annoying at times, she was trying to be nicer. Rachel had single handily saved Sectionals for them, so the black diva thought it was the least she could do.

"Yeah, happy birthday day, Rach." She beamed at them, almost blinding them with the flash of pearly whites in her excitement. It still amazed her that she could actually call the glee clubbers friends.

"Thanks! It's been amazing so far!" Rachel replied, pulling them both into a quick hug.

"I'm sure, Santana texted that Puck was over." Mercedes said with a little knowing smirk, which made Rachel blush.

"Yes, Noah had breakfast with my fathers and me this morning." Rachel mumbled as they made their way into the spa.

"He came over at whatever time this morning to have _breakfast_?" Santana asked with a doubtful look before turning to the receptionist and getting them signed in.

"Yes, it was lovely and very thoughtful." Rachel said, a little irritated that Santana didn't believe her. But no one really knew Puck, _Noah_, the way she did, so she shouldn't be very surprised that they found it hard to believe.

"What'd he get you?" Kurt wondered out loud as they were led into a changing room.

"Oh! They're wonderful! He got me this charm bracelet and this necklace! And wrote me a song!" Rachel gushed, showing them the jewelry with a beaming smile. The four shared surprised looks, not expecting the sex shark to be so romantic.

"Wow, Ray, those are so pretty! What'd he sing?" Brittany asked happily, lifting her wrist so she could examine the charms.

Rachel knew Puck would probably get teased, especially by Santana, but she couldn't keep her joy to herself. It was simply too overwhelming to attempt to keep within her own person.

"Oh, it was so beautiful, Britt. It was about us being 'Musical Soulmates' and it's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. I still can't believe he _wrote_ me a song." Rachel couldn't stop smiling as she stripped down to her underwear and pulled on a spa robe.

"Wow, I didn't know Puck had it in him. So you gave it up to him or what? Because the shit eating smirk on his face says you did." Santana asked, pulling on her own robe. When she saw the bright crimson of Rachel's face, she couldn't stop from snorting.

"Rachel! Oh, you have to tell us!" Kurt said excitedly, his eyes gleaming with the thought of new gossip. This only made the diva blush deeper, especially when Brittany started clapping in excitement and bouncing around, demanding to know.

"I'm not really comfortable having this discussion." Rachel said as they made their way into the massage parlor, where five tables were waiting along with attendants. Santana must have called to specify what she wanted, and Rachel didn't even want to know how much this must have cost.

"Chica, please. We've already gotten past this, remember? Now spill." Santana said as she took her place on a table, sending a smirk at the male masseuse. Rachel pouted a little as she too got comfortable, even more uncomfortable now that there were five strangers around.

"It was…amazing, alright. It exceeded any and all expectations I had."

"C'mon, girl, we want details." Mercedes said, earning sounds of agreements from the others and making the small diva give a huff of resignation.

There was no way they were going to let this go, and she didn't even know why she'd expected them to. She should know by now that her friends had no regard for privacy and always wanted to know the juicy details between footballer and drama queen.

"Fine, but you can't tell anyone the details, as it's no one's business but Noah's and mine. So after he sang me the song I admitted that I loved him…"

/*/

"Where the hell have you been, man? Santana's been riding my ass all morning since you were MIA." Matt grumbled when he spotted Puck sauntering into the living room, back pack slung over his shoulder. He still didn't understand how he'd gotten roped into helping set up for the party.

"Dude, I don't wanna know 'bout how Satan rides anythin' of yours." Matt rolled his eyes at his friend before he paused in moving furniture around, giving the mohawked teen a scrutinizing look.

"What the hell are you lookin' at, Rutherford?" Puck demanded, getting wigged out at the way his friend was peering at him. Matt gave out a hoot and called for Mike, waiting until the Asian appeared before pointing at Puck gleefully.

"Puck got laid!" Eyes widening at the sudden revelation, Mike looked at Puck and noticed the shit eating smirk on his face. Which couldn't be prevented from widening a fraction, as he remembered the wild roller coaster he'd been on with his girl all morning.

"Dude, congrats!" Mike fist bumped his friend, pleased his friend had finally gotten some.

"So, how was it?" Matt asked, sitting on the arm of the couch he'd been rearranging. This was not gossiping…it was just male bonding over a bro getting some, that was all.

Puck thought about refusing to answer, as he knew Berry would be furious, but they were his boys and he'd never hesitated in bragging before. And he had a shit ton to brag about today, so Puck couldn't stop himself from puffing up a little as he smirked at his friends.

"You remember that day she blew me in the bathroom? It was like, times ten of that day. The things that girl can do should be illegal. Like in the shower we…"

/*/

When they made it to Santana's, Rachel had finally managed to quell her blushing and ignore the smirks on her friends' faces, excited to see Puck again. Making their way into the house, Rachel was surprised to see Artie and Tina had already arrived and were both engrossed in a video game with the other boys.

"Really, this is what you've spent the afternoon doing? Did you even get the liquor?" Santana demanded loudly, hand on her hip and fire in her eyes. The others gave little jumps of surprise before turning to her with sheepish grins.

"Course we did, Lopez. No need to freak out. Hey babe." Puck said, standing and pulling his girl to him for a kiss. Ignoring the snickers and catcalls, Rachel wrapped her arms around him and let his tongue into her mouth to play with hers, content to just be in his arms.

"Alright love birds, we got a party to get started." Santana said, moving over to flip on the radio. Pulling back reluctantly, the two shared a look before they turned back to their friends.

"Happy birthday, Rach." Matt said, earning a smile and hug from the little diva.

He smirked at the irritated look Puck sent his way, hugging her a little longer than was necessary just to mess with him. Scowling, Puck crossed his arms over his chest as Mike repeated the gesture, also grinning over Rachel's head at the fuming boy.

"Thank you so much, Michael, Mathew." Rachel beamed at them before stepping back and accepting the cup that was suddenly in front of her face from Santana.

"Let's get our drink on!" Santana said, raising her own cup in a salute before taking a deep gulp and pulling Matt towards the kitchen to make more drinks. Turning to Puck, Rachel grinned up at him as she took a tentative drink, her face scrunching up at the taste.

"Babe, you sure you wanna do this? You don't have to drink to have a good time." Puck asked, pulling her closer to him by her hips. Rachel bit her lip before giving a little nod.

"Yes, I believe I do. I've never had alcohol before or at least, not anything other than the occasional glass of champagne on New Year's. I think it will be good to have some more life experiences under my belt, especially if I'm ever given the role of an alcoholic or the like. Just…don't let me do anything I'll regret too much, okay?"

"Sure, babe. But if you're determined to get drunk off your face, it'd probably be easier for you if you had a chaser."

"A what?"

"A chaser. It's something you drink to chase down the alcohol, like a soda or something. Once you get shit faced, you won't mind the taste so much, but until then you might wanna try that." Giving a nod, Rachel leaned up for another kiss before pulling him into the kitchen, where everyone had gathered.

"Let's party!" Rachel said, lifting her cup up excitedly, earning laughs and cheers from the other glee members.

/*/

Music thumping, the teens were in various states of drunkenness as they danced around the living room, the furniture thankfully moved against the walls to keep them from tripping over it. Puck had kept himself down to a mere buzzed, not wanting to get plastered incase Rachel needed help.

Poor thing had already upchucked twice, but she was still going strong. Thank god she always carried a tooth brush on her, as she turned out to be a very horny drunk and no matter how hot she was, Puck wasn't into vomit breathe. Eh, no thank you.

"Let's play 'Never Have I Ever'!" Brittany yelled, bouncing on Mike's lap in her excitement, making the tall teen groan before she scurried off him to get the shot glasses. They all piled on the floor around the coffee table, ready to get their drink on even more.

"Okay, I go first! Never have I ever…had sex today!" Brittany exclaimed, giggling loudly when Puck and Rachel both took sheepish shots, along with Matt and Santana.

"Okay, okay. Never have I ever…checked out dudes in the locker room." Matt said, not really knowing what to say. When Kurt took a guilty shot, the other guys looked shocked.

"Dude!"

"Hey!"

"Oh c'mon, stop being Neanderthals. Of course Kurt would check you out, as all of you are very attractive males." Rachel mumbled, the words tumbling out of her mouth with less finesse than she'd ever heard.

Her response earned cheeky shrugs from the guys and Kurt breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn't gotten more upset. You trying being gay and surrounded by that much masculine hotness and see if you don't sneak a peek.

Sending a devilish look at Rachel, Santana came up with her perfect game question, having to wait several boring turns until she finally got her chance. She was beginning to really like Rachel, but that didn't mean she'd pass up the opportunity to tease her. She was Santana Lopez, Bitch extraordinaire, after all.

"Never have I ever lost my virginity before 8th grade." Scowling at her, Rachel threw back her shot much to the surprise of the guys and Tina, who hadn't known that. But what made Santana's eyes widen was that Puck also shot his drink back.

"Wait, wait! What do you mean you lost it before eighth grade? I thought _I_ was your first the summer before ninth, Puckerman?" Santana demanded angrily. Puck scratched at his neck and his eyes darted over to Rachel before giving the Latina a shrug.

"It just sorta happened at camp."

"You never mentioned this! How could you not tell me?" Santana glared at him, not really knowing why she was so mad. But it'd been a source of pride that _she_ had been the first one to ride the Puckerman Express, so to know that wasn't true was a blow to her ego.

"It's not like we were really dating, Lopez." Puck ground out, really wanting to change the subject. He was startled a little when Brittany let out a loud shriek before pointing between him and Rachel with wide eyes.

"YOU were the guy at Jew camp! Oh my god!" At her words, Santana, Kurt and Mercedes turned equally wide eyes towards Rachel, who had slumped down, trying to disappear into the floor.

"Okay, did I miss something?" Artie asked, gaze jumping between people in confusion. Rachel covered her face with her hands in embarrassment, not believing this was actually happening.

"Yeah, Bitt, whatta you talkin' about?" Mike asked.

"Rachel lost her virginity at Jew camp the summer before eighth grade. And Puck lost his the same summer, at camp." Kurt supplied, eyes flipping from one teen to the other.

Puck glanced over at his girl, surprised she'd actually revealed that to them before tonight. Seeing his look out of the corner of her eyes, Rachel lowered her hands and looked at him.

"They wouldn't leave me be until I told them how when they found out I was not as innocent as they presumed. I never mentioned who, as was our agreement." Puck pulled her into his side at her muttered words, sending a scathing look over at Santana, who was still glaring at them.

"You got to pop the Berry Cherry! This is madness!" Santana shrieked, not believing it. How had Rachel freaking Berry gotten to Puck before her?

"Santana! I told you not to call it that ever again!" Rachel said angrily, turning to give her own glare. Remembering the mean ass kick the little diva had delivered to her shin, Santana scooted away from the table a ways.

"I'm so confused." Tina whispered, which was actually quite loud considering she was drunk, to Artie.

"Jesus, I can't believe we're talkin' bout this shit. What does it matter? It was a long time ago." Puck said, keeping his arm around Rachel to keep her from launching herself at her friend. There was no telling what a plaster Rachel would do to an equally pissed Santana. And he figured it wouldn't end like his fantasies, so he thought it was best to keep the two apart.

"I just can't understand why y'all would do that. I mean, Rach was freaking twelve!" Santana said, throwing her hands up in frustration. Rachel buried her face in Puck's shirt when she saw the shocked looked on the others faces, utterly embarrassed.

"Look, we're not talkin' bout this anymore. Now either someone go or this game is over." Puck said forcibly, making it clear that the discussion was over.

Sharing a look, the others straightened up and continued the game, not wanting to upset the diva any more than they already had. Even when it was shocking to those who hadn't already known.

/*/

"C'mon babe, you have to drink this entire bottle before I'll let you go to sleep." Puck said, handing Rachel the bottle of water as he sat next to her on the bed in the guest room. The others were passed out all around the living room, and Puck made her move to the room before she could join them in slumber.

"I'm not thirsty, Noah." Rachel said sleepily. Puck pulled out the bottle of Ibuprofen and shook out two pills.

"I know babe, but trust me, it'll make you feel less like shit in the morning. Take these." Handing her the pills, Puck started drinking his own bottle of water to encourage her to do the same. Giving a sigh, Rachel unscrewed the cap and tossed the pills back before take a gulp of the liquid.

"All of it, baby." Sending him a little glare, Rachel tried to quickly finish the water, really just wanting to go to sleep. She'd thought about jumping his fine ass, but as the night had progressed, she'd just gotten more tired than horny and couldn't wait to lie down.

"Good girl." Puck gave her a light kiss before pulling the empty bottle away and setting it on the side table.

Turning back to her, he wrapped an arm around her as she snuggled against his side under the covers, letting sleep claim her. Hoping she wouldn't suffer too much the next morning, Puck clicked the light off and joined her in sleep.

/*/

Waking up having to pee like never before, Rachel quickly scooted out of the bed and rushed to the bathroom, knowing the water bottle from the night before was to blame. But as she became more aware, she found that besides a little headache she felt fine. Either she was someone who didn't suffer from hangovers, or Puck's thoughtful actions had spared her from that fate.

Moving back into the room, she smiled at the sight of a lightly snoring Puck, wondering how she'd ever gotten so lucky as to find someone like him. On the outside he was tough and 'badass', but underneath it all, he was the most perfect boyfriend one could ask for.

Of course, he made mistakes and they bickered almost daily over little things, like his language, but Rachel wouldn't change him for anything. He was exactly what she needed; he complemented her personality by mellowing her out and she softened him up. They really were perfect for each other, no matter how unlikely their pairing must seem to others.

"If you're not gonna join me, could you stop staring at me? You're making me all hot and bothered, baby." Jumping slightly at his husky voice, Rachel focused on his face to see him smirking at her, his morning friend clearly apparent. How had she missed _that_ waking up?

"I hadn't realized you were awake yet, Noah. However, I must decline as I desperately need a shower." Rachel said, moving over to grab her bag from where it was perched on the dresser next to his own backpack.

"Sounds like a great plan."

Puck shot out of the bed, a leer smirk in place as he threw her over his shoulder, making her shriek in surprise. Hand planted firmly on her pert ass, Puck rifled through their bags until he found their tooth brushes and made his way into the bathroom.

"Noah Puckerman! I am not a ragdoll!" Rachel muttered, pinching his own ass cheek roughly, making him laugh before he set her down on the toilet lid.

"Babe, you're so small you _are_ a doll." Rolling her eyes at his words, Rachel snatched her tooth brush from him and went to the sink while he started the shower, joining her at the sink while they waited for the water to warm.

Staring at him in the mirror, Rachel's irritation flew out the window at the little grin on his face as he squirted tooth paste onto his brush. What they were doing was so…domestic. It was like him doing the dishes that morning…like they were actually a couple living together. Chest filling with happiness, Rachel finished brushing her teeth with a goofy smile.

Once done, Puck let Rachel step into the bathtub first before following. But instead of standing behind her, Puck sat on the rim of the tub while the water cascaded down on Rachel, making her look at water nymph.

"What are you doing, Noah?" Rachel asked in confusion, seeing him sitting down.

Puck didn't say anything; instead, he pulled her towards him by her hips and gave her flat stomach a kiss before reaching behind her kneed to bring one leg up to rest over his shoulder.

Eyes widening, Rachel didn't have a chance to utter anything else as his mouth was suddenly against her slit, probing her folds. One hand clutching onto his hand and the other gripping the towel bar/handicap bar, Rachel shuddered as he spread her lips and gave her long licks before letting his tongue delve within her.

"Noah." He loved the way his name came out like a prayer on her lips. Shit was fucking hot as fuck.

Sliding his fingers up her other leg, he brought them upward until they were brushing her softness, making her moan again. When he let a single finger wiggle into her, Rachel's hand on his hair tightened, making him smirk against her in smugness.

Rachel didn't know how long they remained like that, her leg strewn over his shoulder while he tortured her with alternating thrusts of his finger and sucks on her clit, but her head felt like it was going to explode clean off her shoulders. She desperately hoped no one was awake yet, or that Santana's parents had returned, as she couldn't contain her cries of joy at his attentions.

Feeling her walls begin to flutter, Puck added another finger and concentrated his mouth on her clit, giving strong pulls and then flicks of his tongue as he thrust his fingers in and out of her. It only took a few more minutes before he had her wailing his name, her head thrown back against the shower wall as she came undone.

Smirking, Puck withdrew his hands and lowered her leg, making sure she wasn't going to fall down before he stepped under the water. He was so the fucking man. Rachel had to take a few minutes to calm down, leaning against the other wall while Puck lathered shampoo into his hair before rinsing it out, waiting for her to come back from lala land.

When she finally opened her eyes to look at him, she grinned at him in a satisfied way that had his already hard cock twitching. She looked like the cat who got to bird, or whatever the fuck that saying was. Stepping closer to him, Rachel splayed her hands across his chest and lightly kissed his throat before sliding down his body.

Sucking in a breathe when she landed in front of him on her knees, mouth millimeters away from him, Puck watched transfixed as her light pink lips parted to allow her tongue to flick at his tip. Groaning at the fleeting movement, Puck could only hope she wasn't in a devilish mood that morning and would not torture him too bad.

Grinning, Rachel glanced up at him before bringing a hand up to stroke the wet flesh, knowing it probably wouldn't take that much to get him off. Or at least, what she read had claimed 'morning wood' tended to be quicker to take care of. When his hips gave a jerk, Rachel's grin widened before she lowered her head to take him into her mouth.

Fuck, he loved that she didn't have a gag reflex. He was down her throat in one stroke, making the teen moan as her throat muscles contracted around him much like her pussy would. Shit was epic and he was thrilled he was the only one getting the Berry experience.

The research seemed to prove correct, as Puck was coming down her throat after only a few minutes, hands clamped around her head to keep her in place as his hips thrust back and forth. Wiping her mouth, Rachel let him help her up with a pleased smile.

"We'd better hurry or we won't have any hot water left." Rachel said, grabbing at the shampoo bottle. Puck took it from her and pulled her under the water, rewetting her hair before massaging the shampoo into her hair himself.

"You're so fucking awesome babe."

"You're very remarkable yourself, Noah." Rachel replied with a smile, earning a quick kiss before he was washing the soap from her hair.

He had to hurry before he said the hell with hot water and condoms and bent her over and took her right then and there. He was not up for the rant that would surely cause, as it was still way too fucking early.

/*/

Santana stumbled into the kitchen, in desperate need of pain killers. She stopped when she saw Rachel and Puck in the process of making breakfast, a pot of coffee already brewing.

"Good morning, Santana. The Ibuprofen is right there, along with a bottle of water." Rachel said when she spotted her friend, pointing to the items on the counter. Making her way over, Santana couldn't believe how…nonhungover Rachel seemed.

"How…" Santana trailed off with a shake of the head, unscrewing the water bottle so she could take the medicine.

"Noah was a gentleman last night and made sure I had plenty of water and Ibuprofen before I went to sleep and after I woke up, which has prevented most of the aftereffects of drinking. Finish off that water and then you can have a cup of coffee."

Santana grumbled at how cheerful the diva was, sliding into a barstool as the others began making their way into the room, getting the same treatment from the small girl.

Once they'd all had a bottle of water each, Rachel poured them cups of coffee and scooped up the eggs and asparagus Puck had been cooking, giving each a small plate.

"I don't think I can even look at this, let alone eat it." Mercedes groaned, pushing the plate away from her as her stomach churned. Rachel pushed it back determinedly.

"The asparagus will help with the nausea and you need to have a little something on your stomach." Giving a little glare at the other girl, Rachel made sure she got the point before turning to grab her own plate and lean against the counter next to Puck.

"Why don't we just have Bloody Marys? That'll solve everything." Artie muttered, head in his hands as he massaged at his temples, his own plate sitting untouched on the stand of his chair.

"Because that will just make everything worse. Bloody Marys irritate your stomach, so your feel even poorer after consuming it. Plus, drinking more alcohol will only delay the hangover. It's best to just try and work it off now before we all must return home."

"How do you know all this, diva? I thought last night was the first time you'd drunk." Kurt said darkly, his head pounding.

"This is Berry you're talkin' bout, Hummel. She looked that shit up." Puck said, pointing to Santana's laptop that sat on the breakfast table. Rachel stuck her tongue out at him and hip bumped him as she continued to eat, her own headache easing as the medicine coursed through her system.

"Yes, well, I should have done it before last night so that we could have prevented this as much as possible. But at least we're prepared now and can hopefully avoid a repeat if and when we consume large amounts of alcohol again." Tina just buried her head under her arms as Rachel spoke, her brain not being able to handle the drawn out answers.

"Thanks for lookin' out, Rach. My dad'd kill me if he thought I'd been drinkin'." Matt muttered, shoving the food into his mouth before his stomach could rebel. Rachel beamed at him, delighted she'd been able to help them in some small way the way Puck had helped her.

"You're quite welcome, Mathew. Now, on your way home, I would suggest everyone stop by the gas station and pick up a Gatorade. Santana didn't have any, so I had to stick to water. But the Gatorade will replace the electrolytes that are missing from your blood system, further diminishing the hangover. And drink lots of water." Rachel said, waiting until she got sluggish nods from everyone before moving around the kitchen, cleaning up.

"I uploaded the pics from last night and emailed them to all y'all, in case you wanted them. Gotta say, there's some funny shit on there." Puck spoke up, taking the dirty dishes Rachel handed him and placed them in the dishwasher after a quick rinse.

"Oh! I want copies! Lord Tubbington was so jealous he didn't get to come, so he'll definitely want to look at the pictures." Brittany said, in a much cheerier voice than her fellow gleeks.

"Well they're in your email, so you can show him when you get home." Rachel spoke up, seeing the baffled look on Puck's face.

"Yay! I'm gonna go shower." Brittany said happily and jumped out of her stool before dashing up stairs. Santana grumbled something before following, signaling it was alright for everyone to either go back to bed or leave, as she was too concerned with not puking her guts out than being a good hostess.

"We'll see you later guys." Rachel waved as she let Puck pull her towards the door, their bags already sitting next to it in preparation of their departure.

The others mumbled goodbyes and the couple left, clearly suffering the least of anyone besides Brittany. Puck just hoped her dads were already at work by the time they got to her house so he could defile her some more before having to go home.

/*/

Their little love bubble was popped, however, when Monday rolled around and Rachel had to spend all day, every day, in the dance studio in preparations for the Winter Recital. They'd been getting ready for it for weeks now, so all the dancers had to do was fine tune their performances for the curtain call on Christmas Eve.

This meant that the two had very little time together, as they really only saw each other if Puck picked her up or stopped by her house after work. Added to that being a girl suddenly caught up with the diva, meaning the time they did have together was spent on just hanging out.

Not that Puck didn't like spending time with her, because he did. It was just…after finally being with her, it was hard to keep his hands to himself.

Rachel, of course, said it was a great way to make sure their relationship hadn't changed too much, "since having sex could have negative effects on a couple's rapport". Puck thought she was crazy, since he'd told her he loved her and all, but didn't argue with the spitfire about it because he couldn't wait to get her naked again.

/*/

_December 25_

Rachel stared at herself in the mirror, her stomach churning in knots as the clock ticked down to curtain call. She didn't understand why she was so nervous, as she'd performed countless times; but the thought of Puck being in the audience kept sending her into a panic.

What if she made a fool of herself in front of him and he decided he really didn't want to love a girl like her? She was just this short little geek who happened to get on the Cheerios; she hadn't changed and the thought of Puck wanting her was still a little hard to believe.

"There's my hot little Jewish American Princess." Spinning around, Rachel was surprised to see Puck standing there in a dress shirt and slacks, a bouquet of light pink roses in his arms.

"Noah! What are you doing back here?" Shrugging, he sauntered into the dressing room.

"A girl named Charlotte said you might need a little pep talk. So here I am."

Leaning down, Puck placed a light kiss against her lips, not really wanting to get lipstick on him. Sighing in happiness, Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, so glad he was there.

"Thank you for coming. I may have been having a slight panic attack." Rachel murmured, face buried against his shirt so she missed the loving look that crossed his face.

"I'll always be here to boost your ego back up babe, no worries. These are for you." Puck said, pulling back to handing her the flowers with a bashful look. Beaming, Rachel brought the roses up to smell before setting them aside.

"They're lovely, Noah. Thank you."

"You'll kick ass, baby. Don't let the nerves get to you." Puck said, hands sliding into his pockets sheepishly. It was still weird to be so…lovey dovey with someone. Thank god there were no witnesses to this.

"Thank you. I…I guess I should finish getting ready. I'm so glad you're here." Rachel said, standing to give him another hug. Squeezing her tightly for a moment, Puck relished in the feel of her in his arms before he released her.

"I'm glad I'm here too. Actually, everyone's here, so make sure to kick ass or break a leg. Whatever. See you out there." Rachel gave him another light kiss before he left.

Smiling to herself, Rachel sat back down and stroked a rose's petals before looking at herself once more. There was no way she could disappoint him now, so she'd simply have to conquer her nerves and show the audience just why she was cast as Clara.

/*/

Once the ballet was finished on Sunday, December 27, Rachel was finally able to spend time with not only Puck, but also her friends. She admittedly spent most of her time with Puck, whether that was going out on dates, hanging with friends, fooling around, or simply babysitting Eli together.

Although, she did make sure to have friend only time, which usually ended up in the girls (plus Kurt, minus Quinn) sleeping over at her house. She felt bad about leaving out the former HBIC, but after the third ignored call from Brittany, they'd decided to just give her space. If she wanted to deal with the aftereffects of her betrayal by herself, then Rachel wasn't going to stop her.

On the Finn front, Rachel was working up the courage to go see him, to try and apologize. She felt awful for the way she'd kept quiet, even though it'd been for both the boy's, and she really just wanted to make it right. She might not be in love with Finn anymore, but he'd always have a special place in her heart as her first real crush.

/*/

"Oh hello, how can I help you?"

"Hello Mrs. Hudson, my name is Rachel Berry and I was hoping to speak with Finn if he was home." Rachel said, watching as Finn's mom contemplated her request before pulling the door open wider.

"If it'll help him with whatever has been upsetting him, then you're more than welcome to try. His room is the third door on the right upstairs." Carole said, ushering the small girl into the house.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson."

Rachel smiled before slowly making her way upstairs, not really sure if she wanted to go into Finn's bedroom. Why couldn't parents call their kids down to talk in the living room? Taking a deep breathe, Rachel lightly knocked on the specified door and waited until she heard a 'come in' before pushing the door open.

"Rachel? What are you doing here?" Finn asked, sitting up straight on his bed and setting his controller down.

He glanced around the room, noting how messy the small space was before remembering he was pissed at her so shouldn't care what she thought. It wasn't like he could really improve the closet like room that had cowboy wallpaper anyways.

"I…I wanted to come by and attempt to speak with you, Finn. I know how angry you are at me, as rightfully you should be, but I want to try and make amends." Rachel murmured, stepping into the room and giving him a small smile.

"You lied to me, Rachel. How you think that's okay, I don't understand." Biting her lip, Rachel gave a little shrug as she watched him tense up.

"I did what I thought was best for everyone Finn. Would you have wanted the truth, right after facing the loss of the child? Really? You'd have wanted that added pain and sorrow?" At her raised eye brow, Finn dropped his eyes before giving a small shrug.

"I guess not. But I still deserved to know! How could you lie to me about something like that?" Afraid his mother might hear, Rachel closed his door before walking to the end of his bed and sitting down.

"I agree that you deserved to know Finn. I thought about telling you every day, but you forget that I was there when you and Noah and Quinn all had breakdowns. How was I supposed to live with causing you all more heartache?

"I'm sure things would have been different if I wasn't with Noah, if I hadn't seen what I did. But I can't change the past, and nor would I want to. I know you're angry at me Finn, but I would have kept that secret forever to spare you that pain if I could have." Reaching out, Rachel gave his clenched fist a light squeeze before pulling back.

"Why'd they do this to me? I thought they were supposed to care about me?" The words were said in the saddest voice she'd ever heard come from the tall boy, and Rachel felt her heart break a little for him.

"I don't know, Finn. What they did…it's unforgivable, really. But I tried to see it from every perspective, just to try and understand. And while there was no excuse for betraying you, the two honestly made a mistake that was driven by feeling neglected, unloved and alcohol." At Finn's confused look, Rachel tried to find the words to explain so he could understand.

"The two got drunk at a party a couple weeks after you joined Glee, and from what they've both told me, they barely remember the night. For Quinn's part, you'd been ignoring her in favor of me and the Glee club, which hurt her pride. I've found that Quinn Fabray is someone who constantly needs people worshiping her, similar to me and applause. And when that was suddenly gone, she turned to someone she knew would piss you off.

"Noah…I know you're aware of his history. Of how his father abandoned his family after being mentally and physically abusive. When one grows up in a situation like that, they cling to anything that makes them feel wanted. And Quinn did that for him that night, even if he couldn't believe he'd done it in the morning. Added to that, you'd also been ignoring him, so it was a way to get back at you.

"Before you get angry, I am in no way justifying their actions, as there is no possible way to do any such thing. I may not have been with him at the time, but it _infuriates_ me that Noah was with her. That he was with the one girl in all the school that I honestly despised. But it's in the past and I have to look past it or else I'm going to miss out on something amazing that's right in front of me.

"And I think you need to do that as well, Finn. Forget Quinn, there are hundreds of girls in our school, take your pick. You're Finn Hudson, Quarterback, so you should really have no problem finding someone who will actually want to be with you because you're _you_. Don't let Quinn's betrayal keep you in a rut, not able to move on and forgive, because that's not going to do anyone any good.

"As for Noah…I'd love for the two of you to be able to get passed this, to regain your friendship. But I realize that is most likely a pipe dream, as he hurt you worse than Quinn did, if I'm right. So regardless rather you become his friend again, you need to forgive him so that you can move on.

"I just hope that one day you can forgive me as well, as I honestly didn't mean to hurt you Finn. I just didn't want to be the one to cause you more undue duress. So I hope you'll accept my apology and maybe someday we can be friends again." Standing, Rachel made her way towards the door. Finn's brain tried to catch up with her long winded speech, but he'd only been able to catch part of it before his head started hurting.

"Rachel, wait." Turning, she saw Finn stand from the bed and make his way towards her.

"I…I'm sorry I got so angry with you. I don't blame you for what happened and I shouldn't have taken my anger at them out on you." Finn whispered, fingers coming up to lightly stroke her cheek. Alarm bells suddenly sounding in her head, Rachel gave a tight smile and backed up towards the door.

"It's alright Finn, I understand."

"Friends?" Finn asked, giving her the goofy smile that used to turn her knees into jelly.

"Of course. I better be going; it was nice to speak with you and I'll see you when school starts." Rachel fled the room, afraid if she remained a moment longer he'd try to kiss her or something. And that was just something she was not ready for or wanted; especially not when Noah's hurt face flashed before her eyes.

Giving a goodbye to Carole, Rachel rushed out of the house and into her car, needing to shake the moment. She was no longer that star struck girl from the start of the year and she wouldn't fall for Finn's charms, not when she had a boyfriend like Puck. Maybe if she was with anyone else, but Puck really did have everything she could ask for in a partner.

Head firmly back in place, Rachel pulled away from the house and headed to her boyfriend's, knowing tonight would be another one that was spent helping Eli keep up on her spelling while Puck cooked them dinner.

Instead of letting how grown up it all made her feel, Rachel just relished in being with him and looking forward to maybe repeating the process in years to come. Maybe one day it'd be their own child they were teaching how to spell while dinner was on the stove.

/*/

The Puckermans and Berries were gathered in the Berry living room, the live feed from Time Square on the large screen television. The parents were conversing and Eli was playing on the Gameboy she'd gotten for Hanukkah, which meant Rachel and Puck were left alone. Well, as alone as one could get while still in the same room as their parents.

"This has been the most amazing last few months, Noah. I'm hoping the New Year will be just as unbelievable." Rachel murmured, head resting on Puck's shoulder as they swayed in a corner.

If they'd been around anyone else, Puck wouldn't have let himself get so pansy, but the parentals weren't paying any attention so he allowed it. Besides, he got to hold her close, which he was always good with.

"Me too, baby. With basketball starting, I hope it'll be better than the football season. Course, with Ms. P and Coach T breakin' up, I don't see that happenin'" Puck gave a little shake of the head, wondering when they were going to get a real coach.

"If makes you feel better, I'll be there cheering you on." Rachel smiled and leaned up to kiss him, which was quickly deepened as he pulled her closer to him. They ignored the hoots from their parents much like they did whenever their friends did so, parting when they needed to breath.

"No matter what, Noah, the year is already looking up since I have you." She whispered the words, not wanting her dads to hear her. There was no way she'd ever live it done.

Smirking down at her, Puck wrapped his arms around her against and sealed their mouths, letting her feel how much he loved her and was looking forward to the upcoming year. They never parted, even as the others started counting down and cheering when the ball his zero. It was definitely going to be an awesome New Year.

**AN: Okay, so what did you think? Please review, as they make me so very happy.**

**Also, it will be a few days before I update again, as I have to get my Vampire Diaries story updated before those fans get antsy. **

**But, if we reach 140 reviews, I might be willing to update quicker…hint hint wink wink. Love you guys! Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: You guys are so awesome! I love you soooo much! All your reviews made one happy author, let me tell you. I just love each and every one of you that took the time to leave a comment! So keep up the good work! **

SUZANNE: Thanks so much for the review. I'm so glad you like the story so much. I'm trying to keep the updates coming while also continuing my Klophia story, so fingers crossed for quick updates. It just takes some time to write 30 page chapters every time, so please bear with me.

Guest (1): Thanks for the review. I don't know how I could update any faster, with writing other stories, but I'll try. Cheating is something that has zero tolerance in my own life, so I doubt I'd bring it in to the story. But no promises because I don't know how the story is going to turn out as I write it. Hope you like the chapter and leave more comments!

BERRY vs LOVE: Don't worry, I don't tolerate cheating in my life so I doubt I'd put it in the story. I base a lot of the things in this story, besides the obvious things from the show, from my own life, so it shouldn't happen. Although I can't promise anything because I don't really know how the story is going to evolve. I'm going to bring Shelby in like in the show, but I'm not sure yet about the result. Thanks for the suggestions and I'll keep them in mind! Hope you like this chapter and please feel free to leave more feedback!

Guest (2): I know Finn and Quinn getting involved gets old, but I was hoping to show Finn as he's depicted in the show. He always wants Rachel or Quinn when they're with someone else and happy, so I just think he's a bit of a douche. But Puckleberry is the only pairing I'll support, so if they do cause problems know it's only to further the story along. Thanks for the review!

Guest (3): Thanks for reviewing! I'm so glad you like the story and the way I've portrayed the characters. I will be incorporating flashbacks hopefully soon.

Guest (4): Thanks for the review!

MollieeeeeeXOXO: I haven't read the story, Mistaken Virginity, so any relation is purely coincidental. I really just thought up the camp thing partway through chapter two. I'll be sure to read it, but not until after I've written my flashback, as I don't want someone else's work to influence mine. Cheers.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or anything related to the show or the songs I've chosen. This is a work of fiction and I sadly making my no profits other than a happy brain.**

Chapter 13: Return to School

"Are you sure we should wear our uniforms? I mean, Coach has been suspended so there's no telling how long she'll be gone." Rachel said into the phone, pulling out one of her Cheerios uniforms and laying it on her bed.

"I'm sure, chica. I've already sent out the text saying there's a mandatory practice today after school, so you best be in uniform. I gotta go pick up Britt. Tootles."

"Bye." Shaking her head at her friend, Rachel clicked her phone shut and tossed it next to her uniform before heading into the bathroom to put her hair up and a little make on. When she made it back into her room, she had to clutch her hand over her mouth to stop the yell of shock from escaping.

"Mornin' babe." Puck said, casually lying against her pillows. How does he keep sneaking up on her like this?!

"Noah! You scared the life out of me! What are you doing here?" Rachel asked once she'd gotten control over herself.

"You're dads let me in. And I'm driving you to school." He said the last part in such a way that was basically asking if she was stupid. Which she was not.

"But today is Monday, and you work on Mondays." Rachel said, frowning at him, not liking the tone he had used. She was in the top ten of their class, so it was quite apparent that she was anything but _stupid_. Annoying boy.

"Burt let me have today off, first day back and all. And since you dropped your dance class after practice, we can ride home together." Puck said with a shrug, a boyishly pleased smile appearing, making it impossible for her to remain cross.

"Oh, well that was very thoughtful of you."

Rolling his eyes, Puck got off the bed and sauntered over to her. Rachel titled her head back to look up at him and he took the opportunity to kiss her good morning, his strong arms wrapping around her small body to pull her flush against him.

Sighing into the kiss, Rachel twined her arms around his neck and returned the kiss, knowing they wouldn't have a lot of chances for this once they got to school. Well…not that school had ever stopped Puck before.

When they pulled apart, Rachel's face was flushed and Puck's eyes had gone hot, lust pulsing through their bodies in some unknown pattern. Puck brought a hand up to lightly brush her cheek, amazed that he could still find her so damn sexy after months of dating. Who'd have thought that the Puckzilla could be a commitment type of guy? Fuck to hell not him, that's for sure.

"Better get dressed or we're gonna be late cuz I won't be able to keep my hands to myself." Puck mumbled, making Rachel blush deeper before she stepped back to get some space. He was just so intoxicating, from his smell to his caress, that it was hard to think clearly when she was around him.

"Yes, right." Puck smirked at her muttered words, moving back to sit on the bed so he could watch her.

Acutely aware of his gaze, Rachel pulled off her robe and hid a smile at his low groan at the sight of her naked body. Moving to her dresser, she pulled open her drawer and took out a set with a black sports bra and matching underwear. They weren't very sexy, but it was the best choice for going on under the cheerleading uniform, especially considering they'd have a practice that afternoon.

"When does basketball tryouts begin?" Rachel questioned, trying to keep Puck's mind occupied so he didn't say to the hell with school and pounce on her. While she loved the way he was affected by her, she didn't want to be late for school.

"Uh…Coach T already picked the guys off the team he wants. Not really a tryout thing, since most of the jocks were on the football team. There are a couple of guys that only play basketball, so they were put on there. Coach T doesn't really care anymore, since Ms. P got together with Mr. S and all." Puck said with a disinterested shrug. He really could give two craps about his teachers' social lives.

"Oh, well at least you know you've made the team. I hope you have better luck this season than you boys did for football." Rachel said, pulling on her spanks, followed by her skirt.

"Doubtful, babe. Finn's on the team, which means we'll suck." Giving a small laugh at his words, Rachel slid into her long-sleeved white undershirt and top before zipping it closed. Once dressed, she moved over to plant herself in Puck's lap, arms looping around his neck and leaning down for a quick kiss.

"Poor baby. Well I'll be there for every game, so try and play decently, alright? We might have to come up with a reward system if you begin doing too poorly." Large hands coming up to cup her hips, Puck arched a brow.

"What type of system?" Rachel smiled and kissed him again, lingering over his full lips for a few minutes before pulling back.

"I'm not sure at the moment. I'll have to diagram it and get back to you." Groaning, Puck pulled her back to him, his tongue seeking hers out. Rachel allowed the kiss to last for a while before she pulled away and got off his lap, heading back to her dresser to get socks.

"Have things improved with Finn since my visit with him?" She knew it was a sore topic, as Puck had been pissed when she'd told him about her seeing Finn and the tall boy's alarming actions. But she really wanted the two to get back in good graces with each other.

"No, he's still being a douche. I shoulda clocked him about puttin' his hands on you." He replied darkly, glaring down at his hands, as if imagining them connecting with Finn's face.

"I told you it was probably nothing, but I felt I needed to tell you to maintain our honesty agreement. I'm sure nothing more will come of it, as Finn knows I'm perfectly happy in our relationship. I just hope you two can work your differences out sooner or later, as I hate seeing you so sad. I'm thankful you have Mathew and Michael to keep you company, though." Rachel said, giving him a small smile as she sat down to pull her sneakers on.

"Don't hold your breath, babe. Finn can be stubborn when he wants to be. So is Satan makin' you practice?" Puck asked, nodding towards the uniform now covering her creamy skin, much to his displeasure.

"Yes, Santana has demanded we all show up today in uniform, as she won't let us slack off until Coach gets back. I think it's actually a very good idea, as our Nationals are right before the Glee club's Regionals, so we need to remain in tiptop shape. I'd hate to imagine what would happen if Coach came back and saw we'd been slacking." Giving a little shudder of fear, Rachel grabbed her Cheerios coat and put it on before grabbing her book bag and sports bag.

"I'll take those out to the truck. Get somethin' to eat." Puck said, taking the bags out of her hands and heading downstairs.

Smiling at his chivalrous actions, Rachel grabbed her phone off her bed and bounded downstairs to grab a couple of the vegan blueberry muffins she'd made the night before. Deciding to also have some coffee, Rachel filled up a thermos and wrapped the muffins in a paper towel before leaving the house, making sure to lock up after her.

Seeing Puck already waiting in the running vehicle, Rachel carefully made her way to him, not willing to rush and slip on ice, as that would just be a disaster. When she reached the truck, Puck reached over to help her into the cab.

"I've got blueberry muffins and coffee!" She said with a smile, showing him her booty. Giving out an appreciative noise, Puck took the thermos from her hands and took a swig, glad for the caffeine, since it was so fucking early.

"Thanks babe."

Rachel gave a cute little nod, setting the muffins in the space between them as she buckled up. Puck put the thermos in a cup holder and reached for a muffin, stuffing it in his mouth before throwing the car in reverse.

Rachel munched happily on her own muffin, delighted with how the day had started out. Hopefully it was a sign about how the new school semester was going to be like.

/*/

"Hey Ray!" Brittany said in excitement, pulling the small diva out of Puck's grasp to give her a hug. Rachel laughed as she hugged her friend back, hoping nothing ever changed Brittany's happy disposition.

"Good morning Brittany, Santana." Rachel said, pulling back from the blonde to smile at the Latina.

"Monin' B." Santana mumbled, cup of gas station coffee in hand as she tried to wake up. The first day back from break was always a bitch, especially with how fucking cold it was.

"So how's Puckleberry doing?" Brittany asked with a wide smile, missing the eye roll Puck sent her at the nickname. Rachel had to bite back another laugh, knowing how much Puck disliked the name, turning to grab Puck's hand in hers.

"We're just fine, Brittany, thank you for asking. How are you and Michael?" Rachel asked as Puck threw an arm over her shoulder, even though he couldn't be more disinterested in the conversation. He was just waiting for them to either shut up or his boys to show up.

"Oh we stopped seeing each other. I mean…we still see each other, but not like…on dates and stuff." The blonde trailed off, her face scrunching up in confusion. Santana linked her arm with Brittany's, offering her silent support.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Brittany!" Rachel said, leaving Puck's side to slide in next to Brittany's other one. Puck rolled his eyes, knowing a chick talk was coming on.

Wanting to get the hell outta dodge, Puck leaned down to kiss Rachel and whispered a bye before making his way down the hallway, pleased when some dweebs scurried out of his way in fear.

Rachel watched him saunter down the hallway before turning back to her friend, the three girls beginning to walk towards the choir room to talk before school started.

"It's cool, Lord Tubbington said it was coming. Besides, now I can see other guys without hurting Mike's feelings." If Rachel had thought she'd be heartbroken over the breakup, she should have known better. This was Brittany after all, and she wasn't really a one-boy type of girl.

"I'm still sorry that your relationship has come to an end. Are you sure you're alright with it?" Rachel questioned as they passed by the piano.

"Yep! Plus, I think he kinda likes that other Asian girl." Brittany said, twirling out of Rachel's and Santana's grasp to dance around the room to her own inner music. Sharing a look, Rachel and Santana were bemused by Brittany's positive attitude.

"You think Michael likes Tina?"

"Who's Tina?" Brittany asked, stopping mid twirl to look at the small girl in confusion. Trying to stop herself from giggling, Rachel sat down at the piano and started tapping the keys.

"Tina is the other Asian in Glee club, Britt."

"Oh. Okay." Brittany shrugged before pulling Santana into a dance, making the Latina laugh. Thankfully she'd set the coffee down on the piano, or else the hot liquid would have surely been all over them by now.

"C'mon Ray!" Brittany called out. Shaking her head in amusement, Rachel joined the two girls.

Laughing as they spun around the room, Rachel couldn't help but send up a silent thank you for finally finding people who accepted her and wanted to be her friends. She didn't know where'd she'd be right now if Brittany hadn't sat down at her table that day, or if Santana hadn't warmed up to her. She'd probably still be pining away for Finn and trying to change herself to meet with his approval.

Thank goodness she'd found real friends and a boyfriend who liked her just as she was. It's a little terrifying to think about how much she'd have been willing to sacrifice to fit in if not for those three. How much of Rachel Berry she'd have thrown away, never to be found again.

/*/

"Move it RuPaul!"

Turning, Rachel was shocked to be suddenly pushed into the classroom door as Quinn made her way past. Sharing a surprised look with Kurt and Brittany, the three watched at the blonde girl made her way down the hallway, Queen Bitch face firmly in place.

"Guess it was too much to hope she'd stay nice." Kurt said as he lightly pulled Rachel away from the door.

"Yes, I guess so. We had better get going to lunch." Rachel replied, a little hurt that the bitch was back. She'd held no thoughts about her and Quinn ever being friends, as she couldn't stand the other cheerleader, but she hadn't expected her to revert back to her old ways entirely.

"Quinn's a meanie." Brittany muttered, looping her arm through Rachel's and following them towards the cafeteria.

"That's alright, Britt. The rest of the Glee club is our friend, so Quinn doesn't matter. Once she sees that we're not affected by her actions, she'll grow bored." Rachel assured, giving the ditzy blonde a smile as they made their way into the busy cafeteria.

"Okay!" Brittany smiled back before dashing over to the table that now housed the Glee club, minus Finn and Quinn. It was the first time that they'd all been seated together, with the jocks and geeks mixed all around the table so that there was no clear separation.

Grinning at the site, Rachel moved over to sit in the vacant seat next to Puck. He looked up from his burger to smile at her and give her a light kiss; he'd have gone for a longer one, but since he'd gone out for McDonalds, he knew she'd be too grossed out to really kiss him. Sometimes he hated she was a vegan, as it got in the way of his macking.

"Hey babe."

"Hello, Noah. I trust your morning classes were good and you were excused to go and grab something to eat?" Rachel asked, the amusement in her voice belying the words. He just gave her a smirk; answering her question and making her shake her head.

She should be appalled he'd blow of class for a cheeseburger, but this was Noah Puckerman. And besides, he'd been doing amazing in school, and it was the first day, so she doubted he missed much.

"Just brush your teeth if you want to kiss me." Rachel said, making him pout.

Throwing an arm around her, Puck tried to get her to kiss him, making the small girl burst into giggles as he continued to dive for her mouth only to be pushed away. The rest of the table sent them amused looks before going back to their own conversations, too used to the pair to be surprised.

/*/

"Alright, listen up bitches, Coach might not be here but that doesn't mean we can just slack off. We've got a pep rally on Friday and need to have a routine put together. Since the Glee club isn't meeting yet and the basketball team is using the gym, we'll be meeting here all week until the assembly. Comprendé?"

The Cheerios looked around at each other before nodding, not willing to usurp the crazy Latina. Rachel saw Quinn roll her eyes and cross her arms and wondered if the Ice Queen would be vying for her spot back now that the who baby drama was done with. Shrugging, Rachel turned back to give an encouraging smile to her friend from her spot next to Brittany on the auditorium stage.

"Since we don't have that long to practice, the routine is gonna have to be simpler than normal. B, I was thinkin' Rihanna would be a good choice, since she's got good dance beats." Santana said, handing her iPod to the short diva so she could see the song she'd chosen.

"Really? Isn't this a little…inappropriate?" Rachel asked, eyes widening as she glanced up at her captain.

"It's easy to cerograph a routine to, so we're doing it. C'mon girls, let's get started." Santana replied, snatching the device back up and sauntering over to put it in the stand. The brunette would just have to get over her hesitancy if she wanted to be the one to perform, as Santana would not hesitate to step in on vocals if Rachel couldn't do it.

/*/

"So how was basketball practice?" Rachel asked as Puck helped her up into his truck before moving around the hood to join her.

"We're doomed, but I already knew that." Puck said with a shrug, pulling her over until she rested against his side with an arm over her shoulders. Instead of putting up any resistance, Rachel snuggled closer to him as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I'm sure it will improve, as today was only the first practice. Have a little faith, Noah." He grunted, which made her smile against his chest.

"We'll need a miracle to win on Friday. Or for Finn to get body swapped with Colby or somethin'. Dude is terrible." Puck shook his head; remember how the tall boy had practically tripped over his own feet. How Finn got to be the lead in everything when he sucked so much was something Puck would never understand.

"Poor Noah." Rachel murmured, leaning up so she could give his earlobe a light tug. His arm tightened around her shoulder, and Rachel had to stop herself from crawling into his lap at the look he sent her.

"Better stop baby, or we're gonna get in an accident." His voice had gone low and gruff, sending shivers up and down her back.

"I guess you're right, Noah. I would hate to be the cause of distraction for you. It's best if you focus entirely on driving." Rachel said, hiding her grin as she moved out from under his arm to her own seat, buckling in. Puck let out a groan, wanting to punch himself in the face for opening his big mouth.

"Baby-"

"No, Noah, you were correct. The moving vehicle is no place to let our hormones get the better of us." Rachel said firmly, biting her lip to keep her amusement concealed as Puck pouted like a toddler who was denied his favorite toy.

"Fine. But you're all mine when we get to your house, babe." Puck said, sending her a smoldering look that had her heart picking up its pace.

"I would expect nothing less, Puckerman." He smirked at her when she used his last name, knowing she was already getting hot and bothered. Oh, it was so on.

/*/

"Berry, will you stop it already?" Puck groaned, covering his face with an arm as his girlfriend continued to prattle on and _on_.

"No, not until you agree with me, Noah. Since you were so willing to take that photo with me for the Thunderclap, you must have also realized that you were signing up to be my co-captain. And with all the drama, I wasn't really paying attention to it, but now I realize that Finn has continued to be the male lead, which is not right.

"As the co-captain, you should have more chances at taking lead in our weekly and competitive numbers, something you have not fought for. Now, I realize that Glee wasn't that important to you when this all started, but you've acknowledged that you love it and you the co-captain, so I do not see why you wish to remain in the background.

"You have a remarkable voice, Noah. One that is continuously ignored by our director in favor of Finn's, which is not fair at all. I've sucked up my own pride and allowed others to perform lead when their voices have proven to do the songs better justice, and I am annoyed that Finn has not done the same.

"You are just as much a member of the club as he is, no matter _why_ you joined in the first place. So until you agree to demand more solos, I will not stop bringing it up. I am not sure what you wish to do once we graduate, but if it has anything to do with music, then you're going to need the experience and credits on your transcript to stand out. You are being so difficult is irritating, to be frank."

Puck just grumbled as Rachel ranted, glaring down at him from her kneeling position next to his legs. How they'd managed to have hot, sweaty sex one minute and then she began rambling about him needing to sing more, he had no fucking clue. Only Rachel Berry could do a 180 like that. It was fucking messed up.

"Baby, can't you just drop it. Finn's the lead and that's that." He knew before he'd even finished that he'd done zero to calm her down, which was proven by the annoyed huff that sounded.

"Finn is the lead merely because he was the first qualified male lead to come into the club, Noah. You've worked extremely hard to improve your vocals and I hate that you're just letting Finn take the spotlight because it's easier. If you didn't want to be my singing partner, than why did you write that song for me?"

Puck sighed before sitting up, knowing she wasn't going to let this go. When he saw her eyes beginning to tear up in frustration, he knew he had to act quickly if he didn't want a diva fit. She'd mellowed out a lot since they'd gotten together, but this was still Rachel Berry, drama queen extraordinaire.

"After the shit I did, don't you think it's fair that he gets the lead?" So he might hate that Finn was always seen as the best, but he'd still fucked up and betrayed the guy.

"Not at all, Noah Puckerman. You made a mistake and are paying for it by losing his friendship. That does not in any way translate into him automatically getting solos and lead vocals on songs simply because he was the wounded party.

"To be perfectly honest, while at first I was blinded by a fairytale image of him, Finn is not leading man material. He never sticks up for the club…he was even going to slushy Kurt before Kurt did it for him! He chose football over Glee and is constantly worried about what it's doing to his reputation. That is not how a male lead should treat the club he's a part of.

"No, a real leader says to the hell with what others think and take the picture with their high maintenance girlfriend. They chose Glee because they love music and have accepted that it's an intricate part of their persons. A leading man isn't afraid to be seen with the clubbers at lunch, where the rest of the school can see him. A lea-"

"Ok ok! Jeez." Puck cut her off, his face a deep crimson. He couldn't believe she really thought so much of his actions. Rachel slowly closed her mouth but gave him an arched brow, as if questioning rather he was going to refute her words.

"If it means that much, than I guess we can talk to Schue. He'll probably say no, since he's in love with Finn and all. Douche." The last part was muttered but Rachel just gave him a beaming smile before jumping on him, her arms winding around his neck.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. You'll be amazing!" She said happily, giving him kisses between each word. Puck rolled his eyes at her, but he couldn't help but be pleased with making her so happy. And the way she was bouncing around on his lap was fucking awesome.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't tell anyone about this. I mean it, Rach, not anyone." He said sternly with a pointed finger, which only made Rachel snort before sealing their lips together. She loved getting her way.

/*/

"Mr. Schuester, could I please speak with you?" Rachel asked, head peering around the door to see into his office. The Spanish teacher just waved a beckoning hand, never looking up from the papers in his hands.

"What can I do for you, Rachel?"

"Well, seeing as you have not arranged for the club to meet in the next few days, I thought I would take the opportunity to speak with you with regards to the club's vocals. Now, I know that you have this…comradely bond with Finn, what with both of you suffering from baby drama from your exes-"

"Rachel, what do you want?" Mr. Schuester asked with a sigh, setting the papers down to look up at her, the irritation clear. He'd been trying to be better about his attitude since their discussion, but sometimes she really just got on his last nerve. Like Terri used to.

"I am trying to say that you have allowed Finn to remain behind the reins for too long. We have an ample amount of male talent in this club that is often ignored in favor of Finn. Now, while I admit that his vocals and mine do mesh very well together, that is no reason to simply give him the lead every time. I have already proven that I will give up a solo if it can be sung better by another individual, but Finn has not.

"I think it would be prudent for you to begin looking at other males for the leads in songs, as you're doing the entire club a disservice by ignoring them. I have been working with Noah, Michael, and Mathew for months on their voices, and they have improved drastically. Not that you would know, as you continue to push them to the background harmonies that do not show how much they have improved.

"Not to mention, Finn has done absolutely nothing to benefit the club, which is very unbecoming of a male lead. Added to that, Noah is actually my co-captain, in case that has slipped your mind, and hasn't been given the chance to show how talented he is. He-"

"Puck's your co-captain?" Really, that was all he took from what she'd just said? Typical.

"Yes, Mr. Schuester, as you should know. He was the only one willing to take the Thunderclap picture with me, and that made him the other captain by default."

"But Quinn got us the page spread, so that doesn't really matter." Huffing in irritation, Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"Actually, you'd already paid for the quarter page, so I made sure Figgins kept it. And Quinn's actions do not negate my vote into captaincy or Noah's thoughtful actions. I realize that you're very overwhelmed with your new relationship with Ms. Pillsbury, but you're lack of attention to the Glee club is alarming and very disrespectful. Noah **will** be singing lead in the next group number to show how talented he is." Rachel said before turning on her heel and marching away, her Cheerios skirt flaring out in her anger.

Mr. Schuester just stared after her, not really sure what had just happened. How could she demand something like that? He was the director! Finn was their best shot at Regionals, so he didn't see why she would try to jeopardize that. Stupid girl.

Standing up in his own irritation, Will headed towards Emma's office, needing to get this off his chest. And see her. She looked really pretty today.

/*/

"So I have spoken to Mr. Schuester, and while he is still stuck in his limited thinking, I have made sure you get lead in the next group number." Rachel said as he pulled her towards a broom closet, wanting some alone time before lunch ended.

"S'cool babe. Thanks for tryin'." Puck murmured before pulling her into the small space and shutting the door.

"It's certainly not 'cool', Noah. The fact that he-"

"Let's not talk 'bout Schue." Puck said, lips skimming over her lips as he picked her up so she could wrap her legs around his hips. Rachel's breathe caught as he ground against her, biting her lip to keep from making any noise so as not to alert those in the hallway of their actions.

"Noah, we're in school!" She whispered, cheeks blazing red as he started running his hands up her thighs.

"So?" He smirked at her, arching a brow before claiming her lips in a brutal kiss. Rachel whimpered against his lips before letting his tongue slip into her mouth, wrapping her arms around him to keep him where he was.

Smirking into the kiss, Puck pushed her skirt up and used one hand to push her spanks and underwear to the side so he could trace her folds. She shuddered against him; Rachel couldn't stop her hips from giving a little jerk, trying to find more friction.

"I got you babe." Puck mumbled when he pulled back, his breath starting to shorten at the sexy sounds coming from his girl.

Letting a finger delve deeper, he had to kiss her again to swallow her moan as the digit sank into her tightness. After a few thrusts, Rachel was panting and her eyes had glazed over as she stared at him, silently begging him to pound her into the wall. Which he was all too happy to do.

Quickly unzipping himself, Puck pulled his cock out of his pants and fumbled with his wallet until he'd gotten the condom out. Leaning forward, Rachel used the wall to support herself as she ran her hands over Puck's arms and neck.

"Quick Noah." At her breathless words, Puck had to pause for a minute unless he wanted to tear the damn latex in his haste. Swallowing, he finally managed to get himself covered before grasping her hips and meeting her lustful gaze.

Rachel threw her head back, wincing a little as she hit the wall, as he was suddenly filling her, reaching so far inside she thought he'd split her open. Clutching onto his shoulders, Rachel mewled as he started thrusting into her, the sensations quickly getting the best of her. The fact that they were in school and could get caught just made it that much more enticing.

"Fuck, you're so tight." Puck groaned, hips moving frantically as he neared his release. Normally he'd be all about making the pleasure last but he knew she'd freak if she was late for class, so he had to try and do this as quick as possible. Good thing he was used to quickies while in school.

"Noah! Harder!" At her words, he had to fight against just bursting. Instead, he clenched onto his resolve and thundered into her. It was all too much for her, and her walls were clenching around him within a few minutes and a very loud moan sounded before he could cut it off with his lips.

"Fuck." Puck pulled away from her as his nads tightened up and he cock started pulsing, his orgasm rocking through his body. The two stayed connected for a couple of minutes, trying to catch their breath. When they had finally calmed down, Puck pulled out and let Rachel's feet once more touch the floor.

"Hang on." Rachel said, snagging her bag to rifle through it before she pulled out some baby wipes. She handed him one with a smile before blushing and using one on herself, not wanting to be uncomfortable for the rest of school. When she was satisfied, Rachel pulled a small plastic bag from her Mary Poppins bag and put the used wipe inside.

"Here, put them in here." Rachel said, giving him the bag to toss the condom and wipe inside. How she came prepared with literally everything, while completely demented, really came in handy.

"Thanks babe." Puck muttered, tied up the bag and fixed his clothes. Rachel smoothed out her uniform and gave herself a little squirt of body spray before turning to him with a beaming smile.

"We'd better get going as I have a quiz in English." Grabbing her hand, Puck leaned in to give her a light kiss.

"Wouldn't want you to be late." Rolling her eyes at his amused tone, Rachel slowly pulled the door open and stepped out, Puck following behind her. Only to be met with the wide eyes of a hallway full of students.

"Shit B, that sounded like you had a good time." Santana said with a smirk as her and Matt passed by, making the already embarrassed diva flush deeper.

"Shut it, Lopez." Puck said, pulling until Rachel was tucked under his arm. Ignoring the looks and whispers, Puck led her towards her English class, whispering soothing words into her hair along the way.

/*/

"Michael, could I ask you something?" Rachel whispered as the teacher took up their quizzes.

It'd taken her that long to get over her mortification, and Rachel was determined to get her question answered before she started getting teased again. Not that she was embarrassed about being with Puck, not at all. She just hadn't realized that everyone would have heard what they'd gotten up to; thank goodness there hadn't been a teacher around.

"Sure Rach." Mike said, glancing away from watching Artie and Tina chatting.

"I was wondering if you might be willing to start helping Noah with his dancing?" At Mike's surprised look, she rushed a head.

"You see, I have requested that Mr. Schue give him, along with the other boys, more chances to sing lead instead of Finn getting every part. To complete his male lead role, Noah needs to improve his dancing techniques. Thankfully, he's already better than Finn, but that's not exactly difficult to achieve.

"So I was hoping, since I've been working with you on your singing, you wouldn't mind helping him with dancing. Of course, he can't know it's 'help', so maybe you could just pull him into dancing or something? Maybe Mathew would be willing to lend a hand as well?" Thinking it over, Mike gave a shrug.

"Sure, I don't see why not. You've helped us a lot, so it's only fair that we repay you somehow. I'll talk to Matt, but I'm sure he'll be on board. And we could just start doing it once he comes over after work on Sundays, since we're already there."

Mike was shocked by the megawatt smile he received, but he grinned back. Rachel was a lot cooler than he'd ever imagined, and Puck was his boy, so it was nice to help them out.

"Oh thank you so much, Michael! I really appreciate it!" Any further conversation was cut off as the teacher started speaking about Macbeth.

/*/

"You're sure we won't get in trouble for this song choice?" Rachel asked once more, the Cheerios getting warmed up in the smaller gym as they waited for the larger one to fill up with students.

"I'm sure B. And if we do…we'll say Sue chose it before getting suspended." Santana replied with a shrug as she stretched out on a mat. Sighing, hoping it didn't come back to bite them, Rachel did her voice warm ups while she too stretched.

"Alright ladies, time to kick some ass." Santana said a few minutes later when she got the signal from some random teacher. Taking a deep breath, Rachel gave a nod before they were all moving out into the gym to find their spots before the song started.

"You got this, Ray." Brittany whispered, which Rachel returned with a hand squeeze before her cue started. As she sang, she couldn't help but find Puck's blazing eyes on the sidelines where he stood with the rest of the basketball team.

"_Suck my cockiness  
Lick my persuasion  
Eat my words  
And swallow your pride down, down_

Place my wants and needs  
Over your resistance  
And then you come around  
You come around  
You come around

I want you to be my sex slave  
Anything that I desire  
Be one with my femin-ay  
Set my whole body on fire

They mad at Rihanna game  
Taking over your empire  
She may be the queen of hearts  
But I'm a better queen to your body parts

No one can do ya  
The way that I do  
Boy I wa-a-ant  
(Youuuuuu)  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it

Suck my cockiness  
Lick my persuasion  
Eat my words  
And swallow your pride down, down

Place my wants and needs  
Over your resistance  
And then you come around  
You come around  
You come around

I can be your dominatrix  
Just submit to my every order  
Enter my diamond matrix  
If you want my golden flower

Make me your priority  
There's nothing above my pleasure  
She may be the queen of hearts  
But I'm a better queen to your body parts

No one can do ya  
The way that I do  
Boy I wa-a-ant  
(Youuuuuuuu)  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it

Homie don't beat it like a bullet  
Beat my drum drum  
Like a drum line boogie  
(I love it when you)  
Dive head first if you wanna  
Sing to my body  
Hold me tight mister lover  
(I love it when you)  
Do it like I do it  
Like I said  
Keep it up, boy  
We can do this all day  
Be my Harlem  
And me St. Tropez  
Never found nobody  
That will do it this way

No one can do ya  
The way that I do  
Boy I wa-a-ant  
(Youuuuuu)  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it, I love it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it  
I love it when you eat it"

The song was way too suggestive for Rachel's likes, but they got a standing ovation from their hormonal classmates, so she just accepted the applause with a smile. And by the look Puck sent her she knew they'd be lucky to make it to the parking lot before he was on her. Not that she minded that much anymore; not after their loud rendezvous in the closet that was now labeled as 'The Closet'.

/*/

No matter how many shots Puck blocked or even managed to make, Finn led the team into a very unsurprising loss. His height apparently gave him zero advantage, as the other team's players were able to block his shots and knock the ball out of his grasp.

By the end of the game, Puck seriously thought about punching the douche's lights out for sucking so bad, especially when he saw the appreciative looks he'd send the girls as they cheered, more specifically Rachel.

Stepping out of the locker room, Puck glared when he saw Finn talking with Rachel and Santana, his face contorted in the boyish look he thought was sexy. Stupid idiot. Not wanting to let this go on too long, Puck sauntered up to the girls and wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders.

"Hey babe." Rachel turned to look up at him with a beaming smile before she leaned up on her tiptoes to give him a light kiss.

"Hello, Noah! I'm so sorry you guys lost! I'm sure you'll beat the next team." Rachel smiled, cuddling into his side. She knew exactly why he'd pulled her to him, but she wasn't too taken aback by it.

Sure, it was a little cave man like, but she also wanted Finn to realize that she wasn't the cheating kind and wouldn't go for him as long as she was with Puck. Which she hoped was quite a while.

"Please, the only way they'd ever win a game is if they got all new players." Santana said with a snort, ignoring the glares she received from the others. What, she was just being honest. Their basketball team sucked balls.

"That's not very nice, Santana. Don't listen to her boys; I'm sure you will all get better with more practice." Rachel said with a small smile, even though she didn't believe herself either.

"Thanks Rachel, you always know just what to say." Finn said, giving her that goofy little smile that she found irritating now.

"You're welcome, Finn. I must apologize, but we should be going if we're going to make it to dinner on time." Rachel murmured, glancing up at Puck.

"Right. See you guys later." Puck said as he pulled her down the hallway, not even bothering to look back. Santana watched the two walk away, seeing how happy her friend was. Turning to Finn, she placed her hand on her hip and adopted her best bitch face.

"You need to stop trying to mess their relationship up, Finn. Shit's not cool, and that's coming from _me_."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Finn muttered, going to turn away when he was stopped by her hand spinning him back around.

"Listen up, Frankenteen; what Q and Puck did was fucked up. No one is saying it wasn't. But you trying to steal Rach from him just to get even is a shit move on your part. Sides, you don't even like Rach that much. She's loud, obnoxious, and talks about Broadway most of the time. You're not over Q, so instead of trying to make things hard for Rach, why don't you focus on gettin' over your ex?" Giving him a serious look, Santana turned and pranced away, planning to meet up with Matt at the party.

Finn watched her go, his slow brain trying to understand what she'd been saying.

/*/

(_Monday of "Hell-O" week_)

"Have you heard?"

"Yeah, Carla said she saw Sue in the office this morning."

"I can't believe she's back already!"

"I just hope she's not too mad about Friday's pep rally."

"Me too girl, me too."

/*/

"What's going on?" Rachel asked when she saw Brittany and Santana leaning against Sue's office, where she could vaguely hear the woman ripping into someone.

"She's pissed we didn't stop the Glee club from winning Sectionals. She's talking to Q right now." Santana replied, face a little pale from the screaming her and Britt had already been through. Frowning, Rachel glancing between the two.

"So…she's going to make you guys do something?" Earning shrugs, Rachel sighed sadly before nodding.

"Of course, you must do what you must. But if she demands I help, then I must remain true to myself and the Glee club. I will not be part of any sabotage plan, and if she brings it up to you, please inform Coach that I will be resigning from the team if she demands such." With that Rachel turned on her heel and marched away, hurt that her friends would still be willing to disrupt the club to remain on the Cheerios. So much for being true friends.

Spying Kurt and Mercedes speaking at a locker, Rachel made her way over. If Santana and Brittany were going to spit in her face (figuratively), then she was just going to have to make sure she was around other friends. She knew that Brittany didn't really know what all was going on, or how her actions affected others, but Santana was perfectly aware and that just made the hurt sting more.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Rachel asked, smiling as the other two divas smiled back.

"Not too bad, diva. I'm still amazed we won Sectionals! The whole school's been looking at us differently." Mercedes said, clutching her binder to her chest in happiness.

The three started walking down the hallway, chatting excitedly about the upcoming Glee practice that Mr. Schuester had scheduled for that lunch period. They were rudely interrupted by the sudden, shocking faceful of sticky ice.

Dropping her bag where she stood, Rachel furiously wiped at her eyes until she could see the backs of Karofsky, Azimio, and another jock walking away, laughing. Giving an ear splitting shriek of outrage, the others in the hallway watched in shock as Rachel launched herself at Karofsky, catching the large boy by surprise.

Using her momentum, Rachel brought the boy to the ground where she rolled out of the way before flashing back up to her feet and kicking him as hard as she could in the balls.

"How dare you, you Neanderthal!" Rachel screeched, her small fist flashing out to punch him in the face.

The footballer's face snapped back and hit the floor with a small crack that would have had her worried if she wasn't so enraged. She was roughly pulled away from the boy by Azimio, who pushed her against the lockers.

"You better watch yourself, loser. Or you're gonna get a lot more than a slushie to the face." Before she could retort, the black boy was yanked away from her and found himself held against the other wall by his throat, a very angry Noah Puckerman staring at him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Azimio?" The words were said in such a deadly calm voice that the larger guy felt his gut clench in fear. He might have a good 30 pounds on Puckerman, but that was due to fat and the mohawked dude was all muscle. Which was proved by the tight grip he had on his throat, making it difficult to breathe.

"I was perfectly capable of standing up for myself, Noah." Rachel said, hands on her hips. The picture might have been more threatening in she didn't have blue corn syrup all over her face and uniform.

"You already took care of Karofsky, babe. I got this one." Puck said, sending her a look before turning his glare back to his former teammate.

"Well?" He only got a gurgled response, so Puck tossed the guy away from him, where he landed next to David with a thud.

"Keep your hands off my girl unless you want me to break your face." Puck snarled down at the two before turning to look at the other jock, who's eyes were wide with fear. He'd never been on the receiving end of this side of Puck and he didn't want a repeat, like ever.

"Sorry man, Rachel. D-didn't mean to get you." He mumbled, eyes flicking to the brunette. Rachel glared at him before tugging on Puck's bulging arm.

"You have no right to go about tossing slushies in people's face merely because you believe yourself above them. I thought I had made that point crystal clear, but I guess you three chose to ignore it. You might want to wake up and realize something: the football team, while admittedly run this school, only won _two_ games this last season. Two.

"The Glee club, which you jocks believe is filled with losers, even though the majority of its members are in athletic programs, won _Sectionals_. Putting the two side by side, it's hard to understand why you boys think yourselves so much better when we've proven we have more talent than you do. If you _ever_ come at me with a slushie again, I won't prevent Puck from taking retaliation, along with suing you for intention bodily harm."

With that, the diva pulled Puck away and grabbed her dropped bag, ignoring the whispers and phones that had been recording the whole thing. Hopefully they hadn't caught her hitting Karofsky, as she really needed to stop resorting to physical violence. She'd been handing around Puck too much.

"C'mon guys, let's go get cleaned up." Rachel said to Kurt and Mercedes, who were staring at the two with shock, and a little hero worship. They'd just witnessed an epic showdown between the new 'it' couple and two of the biggest bullies…it was just amazing.

The four made their way towards a bathroom, where the slushie victims worked hard to get the blue dye out of their clothes. Which was a hopeless task, as it had stained all the way through to skin.

"Coach is going to be so mad!" Rachel moaned in frustration, knowing she was going to have to either go home or get a new uniform. But anything was better than walking around in the ruined one, so she just clamped down on her courage.

"Here, wear this till you get a new one." Puck said, pulling his letterman jacket off and handing it to her.

"Thanks, Noah. I should go get a new uniform before classes begin. See you guys later." Rachel gave him a light kiss before leaving the bathroom. The other three shared a moment of awkwardness before Puck cleared his throat and took his over shirt off.

"It's all I have to offer." Puck said as way of explanation, holding the garment out to Mercedes. Taking the shirt from him, Mercedes eyes were large as she looked between it and Puck.

"T-thank you, Puck." Giving a little uneasy shrug, Puck looked at Kurt.

"Uh…you have a change of clothes?" Kurt had to bite back a chuckle at how uncomfortable the jock was before nodding.

"Of course, a fashionista always comes prepared." Giving him a weird look, Puck just bid goodbye before fleeing, still not used to being so friendly with the two. For fuck's sake, he used to toss Kurt in dumpsters. Shaking his head, Puck made his way to English.

/*/

Rachel rushed into the Spanish room, panting for breathe as she'd just run all the way form the supply office to Mr. Schue's class. Puck's letterman's jacket was thrown over her arm with her own Cheerio's coat, as the diva was too hot to wear either.

"Rachel, why are you late?" Mr. Schue asked, turning from the board to look at her. He still couldn't get over their talk, so his words might have come out sharper than he'd meant for them to.

"S-S-Sorry Mr. Schue…I had to…get a…new uniform." Rachel gasped, clutching onto her side as she tried to calm her breathing.

Mr. Schue just motioned for her to sit down, now wanting her to pass out from oxygen loss. Rachel made her way to her usual seat next to Santana and Brittany, ignoring the two as she tried to calm down.

"You alright, B?" Santana asked, completely ignoring the glare Will sent her way before starting the lecture.

"I'm fine." Rachel said, turning away from the Latina to pull her notebook from her book bag.

"Are you mad at us?" Brittany asked, her big blue eyes filling with sadness at the thought. Rachel tried to remain immune to the gaze, but Brittany just looked so dang sad.

"Are you going to betray the Glee club to remain on the Cheerios?" Rachel asked, looking over at Santana with an arched brow.

"What do you mean?" Brittany asked in confusion. But Rachel just kept her gaze on Santana, knowing the Latina would be the one to question.

"Sue didn't ask us to do anything. So I dunno." She said with a shrug, feeling uncomfortable with how guilty the brunette was able to make her feel. The Cheerios were her _life_, just like Glee was Rachel's, so she didn't get why the diva didn't understand.

"Oh, well okay then. Just…warn me if she does because I don't want to be blindsided by it." Rachel said quietly, knowing it was too much to ask for them to pledge their allegiance to only the Glee club. They were Cheerios first and foremost, so Rachel just had to accept that that is what came in first for them, no matter whether they were friends or not.

"Sure, B." Santana nodded, knowing it was the least she could do. Because if it came down between the two, she'd always go with the Cheerios.

"So…you're not mad anymore?" Brittany asked hopefully, making Rachel give a small laugh and hug her.

"No, Britt, I'm not mad anymore." The three friends smiled at each other before turning their attention to the front, least Mr. Schuester get too angry.

/*/

"Hey babe." Puck said as he sat down next to Rachel in the choir room, slinging an arm over the back of her chair.

"Hello, Noah. Thank you for letting me borrow your jacket. Here, I made you turkey and cheese sandwiches." Rachel said, pulling the baggy from her lunch box.

"Really? Thanks, baby." Puck said, taking the sandwiches with a kiss.

"Well, since Mr. Schue told us about the meeting on Sunday via email, I figured it would be best to pack you something in case we didn't have time for you to grab something from the cafeteria." Rachel said with a smile, pulling out a container of grapes to nibble on.

"'Preciate it, baby." Puck murmured, knowing she'd have had to go out and buy the cheese and meat for him.

"You're quite welcome, Noah. I'm always glad to insure you're eating properly. And I've come to realize that it's a good idea to have the supplies on hand for when I have three hungry boys in my house on Sundays." Rachel beamed at him, which made his heart do that stupid clench thing again. Swallowing his bite, Puck leaned over to give her a long kiss.

"You're the best, Rachel." Lighting up like a freaking Christmas tree, Rachel smiled at him in utter delight.

"Thank you, Noah. I…_I love you_." Rachel whisper the last part, even though no one was in the room yet. She knew Puck didn't want that getting out, even though the rest of Glee pretty much already knew.

"Love you too, babe." Puck grumbled before stuffing half the sandwich in his mouth, making Rachel have to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. Boys were so amusing when they got all uneasy about feelings and admitting they actually had them.

Shaking her head, Rachel pecked his cheek and turned back to her grapes, sighing in contentment when he pulled her to lean against his chest as they waited for the rest to show up. Which proved to not be long, as the clubbers began trickling in, many with their own lunches in hand.

/*/

They watched as Mr. Schuester, who was ten minutes late!, drew a large stick figure up on the white board. He then added a speech bubble with the word "Hello" scribbled inside of it before turning to look at his students.

"Hello." Receiving no response, Will arched a brow.

"Hello?"

"Hello." The clubbers responded weakly, not at all interested in whatever he was going to say. Sighing, will ploughed on ahead.

"What do you guys say when you answer the phone?"

"What up?" Mercedes said, getting nods from the others.

"Who this be?" Artie said, making the others chuckle a little.

"No, she's dead. This is her son." Kurt's reply was answered with an awkward silence before Mr. Schuester pushed ahead.

"O-kay…Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, liked to say "Ahoy, ahoy" when he answered the phone. It was Edison who decided that "hello" was a more appropriate greeting." Mr. Schue said, glancing around at his students. Seeing their pitiful looks, he sighed.

"Look, I am really proud of what you guys did at Sectionals, but as most of you have realized by now, it hasn't made a bit of difference in your day-to-day at school."

"I have a stained sports bra as proof. Those stupid Neanderthals are so-" Rachel's angry words were cut off by Puck's hand over her mouth.

Turning wide, angry eyes at him, Puck arched a brow at her before nodding to the irritated look on Mr. Schuester's face. Huffing, she crossed her arms and he lowered his hand, prying a clenched fist away from her body until he had it relaxed in his.

"The fact is, we're gonna have to be better, even more spectacular at Regionals. It's time for some reinvention, some new New Directions. We need a new…hello. Here's your assignment for the week. Come up with a fresh number, but it has to have "hello" in the song title, all right? And we'll do "Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles on Friday." Getting halfhearted shrugs, Will sighed as the bell rang.

/*/

"Does anyone have a number prepared?" Will asked as he walked into the room, even though he already knew one of them did. He'd pulled Finn from math to speak with him and let him practice, so he could show the club why he was the male lead. Not that Finn knew this.

"I do, Mr. Schue." Finn said, holding up a hand.

Receiving a smile from the director, Finn stood and made his way to the front of the room. He didn't see the eye rolls his classmates shared, too focused on getting into the groove. When the music started, Finn's eyes moved over to Quinn before he could stop himself.

After finishing up "Hello, I love you" by The Doors, the practice broke up as no one else had a number ready. And since Mr. Schuester still hadn't said okay for Puck to do the group number, Rachel pulled him out of the room before they could all be roped into practicing with Finn as lead.

/*/

"Okay girl, I want the real story about the night at summer camp." Santana said from her spot on Rachel's bed. They'd decided to go to the diva's house instead of Britt's for waxing night, since Brittany's little sister had friends over and they really didn't feel like babysitting a bunch of six year olds.

Rachel was sitting on the trunk at the foot of her bed, in the middle of paining her toes has her legs had already gone through their torture. Brittany was in the bathroom, giving a small cry as she removed the last piece of paper and wax from her body.

"I told you that I wouldn't go into details, San." Rachel said, capping the polish as glancing up at her friend.

"C'mon, we all know it was Puck now. So spill. I wanna know how you ended up losing it to him." Santana said, unwilling to let this go. It'd been bothering her since she'd found out over break and she was determined to get some answers.

"I wanna know too, Ray." Brittany said, coming back into the room and going over to the vanity that held the soothing lotion. After rubbing it into her legs, she joined Santana on the bed and they both peered at Rachel.

"It's really not that interesting, guys." Rachel sighed.

When they just continued to stare at her, the small girl huffed before getting up, moving carefully over to a wall that had pictures tacked up to a cork board. Most of the pictures were new, ones taken since she'd rejoined Glee, but there were a few ones of her life before Glee, before high school. Taking one down, Rachel turned back and made her way to the bed, where she sat down next to Brittany's legs.

"Noah and I have known each other practically since birth. As you might have guessed, the Jewish community is extremely small, and most of the members are friends. This is true for my dads and Leah Puckerman, Noah's mother. They'd known each other since my dads had moved here, so when they both had children, we were automatically made to be friends."

"Aw, you were so cute!" Brittany said, grinning down at the picture of two blushing children, Rachel in pigtails and Puck with a head full of hair.

"Never thought I'd appreciate the hawk more than I already do." Santana said in amusement, making Rachel roll her eyes and snatch the picture back.

"Anyway, so we've known each other all our lives. That does not mean to say, however, that we were friends for that long, as you know. That summer…it changed our relationship in ways that I'd never even contemplated before. Once school started in August, Noah was gone and in his place was Puck, this abrasive boy who slushied me without a second thought." Glancing down at the picture again, Rachel couldn't believe how much they'd both changed over the years.

"Why'd he slushie you?" Brittany asked, seeing the pained look on her friend's face.

"Uh…I don't know how much I can say without betraying his confidence, but it was a difficult summer once we returned from camp. Some things happened that seemed to make Noah snap and allowed Puck to take his place. I'm not entirely sure what brought the slushieing on, but I understand now that he was hurt and lashing out." Rachel shrugged before standing to put the picture back.

"So…camp?" Santana said, wanting to get back on topic. Rachel leaned against her desk, crossing her arms over her chest as she regarded her two friends.

"You're going to be disappointed, as it's really not that interesting." Rachel shook her head before launching into the story, knowing they expected it to be more than it was.

/*/

"_C'mon Rachie! Please! The guys won't leave me alone until we do it." Noah groaned from his spot next to her. They'd taken his blanket from his cabin and had snuck off to be alone, wanting to be away from the ever present Jacob Ben Israel and older children that kept teasing them._

"_Noah! I am not going to do __**it**__ merely because a bunch of older boys are teasing you. That does not make any sense! When that happens, I want it to be with someone I love." Rachel's young voice replied, appalled he'd actually think she'd have sex with him. She was only twelve, for peat's sake. _

"_Please Rachie! It's no big deal, right? You're always saying you're gonna have to experience stuff for Broadway, right? And they do that, don't they? Plus…isn't it better to do it with your best friend?" Noah's hazel eyes were wide as he continued to speak, not really sure why he was pushing this so far. He didn't really think he was ready for this, let alone if Rachel was. But the guys just wouldn't quit and he wanted to show them that he wasn't a baby._

"_Noah…"_

"_Rachie, please! You're my best friend and I don't wanna do it with anyone else." Seeing how serious he was, Rachel bit her lip in uncertainty. Was she really going to do this? At twelve? What would her dads think of this?_

"_What…what about protection?" She whispered, her eyes closing tightly when she realized she'd basically just said yes. But Noah was her truest friend, had been her first kiss, so maybe this was right. Maybe the two were just meant to be together and it didn't matter at what age they started. Maybe._

"_Oh, they gave me something." Noah pulled out the foil package, the two staring down at it before looking up at each other._

"_Oh…okay. H-here?" Rachel's voice wavered, glancing around the secluded little nook they'd found._

"_I-if you want." All the certainty fled, leaving the thirteen year old sounding his age. Their large eyes locked before they slowly leaned in, the awkwardness of their ages and the moment almost too much. But not enough, as Rachel allowed herself to be lowered to the blanket by fumbling hands. _

"_Y-you're sure?" Noah paused to ask, knowing if she said no than he'd pull away. This was Rachel, and he wasn't going to hurt her just to get the guys off his back. Biting her lip, Rachel gave a small nod and pulled his face in for a kiss._

/*/

"That's it?" Santana asked, annoyed there hadn't been more details.

"I don't know what you expected, San, but that's it. It was uncomfortable and painful, and when it was over we were so awkward around each other. We were way too young to have done that and we promised not to talk about it again. He let the guys think he hadn't gone through with it and this is the first I've spoken of it in detail since." Rachel said with a shrug.

"Puckleberry was meant to be!" Brittany said, punching her fist up into the air with a triumphant smile.

"You're a lot more badass than I ever thought, Berry." The Latina said with a smile, making the diva blush.

"So…have you found songs to do?" Rachel asked, moving to her laptop to pull up the internet. The other two shared an amused look, knowing the diva was trying to change to topic. Which was fine, as they'd gotten what they wanted.

"No, haven't really had a chance." Santana said in disinterest. Rachel sent her an annoyed look before unplugging her computer and depositing herself on the bed so they could all see the screen.

"There aren't actually that many songs to choose from, but here's the list. I've picked this one and Finn had performed the Doors number. So these are what is left." Rachel said, pointing to the songs on the computer screen.

"There's not really anything my style, B." Santana said, reading through the titles and artists. Giving a nod, Rachel skimmed down the screen.

"I was thinking that as well, which is why I was going to suggest maybe doing a group number? Not many of these can be done justice by a single voice, so maybe adding in some of the boys would allow for you to do a song you couldn't have before. Like this one." Rachel said, highlighting the song she was speaking of.

"Can we hear what is sounds like?" Brittany asked from over her shoulder.

"Sure." Rachel pulled up youtube and typed in the song before playing the video. The three shared a grin when it was done.

"That'd be perfect, with Artie for sure." Santana said.

"And maybe include Michael and Mathew? Their voices have improved a great deal since I've started working with them, so it should be a great performance." Rachel said.

"I'm going to go call them and see if they can meet us here. That's okay, right Ray?" Brittany asked as she stood from the bed.

"Uh…yeah sure. We'll order in and I'll see if Noah wants to come by after work." Rachel replied, amazed her house was soon to be filled up with people. Having friends was something she thought she'd never get used to.

/*/

(_Tuesday of "Hell-O" week_)

The minute she slides into the truck, Rachel can tell something is wrong. Puck's face is twisted in a deep scowl and his hands are gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles have turned white. Add that to the fact that he hadn't leaned over for a morning smooch, and something was clearly bothering him.

"Noah, what's the matter?" She asked, sliding over on the seat until she was right next to him.

"Nothing, just somethin' stupid." Puck shrugged, but the irritated look never wavered as he started the truck and pulled out.

Frowning up at him, Rachel moved back to her seat to buckle up. The drive was absolute hell for her, as he refused to say a word and her stomach was beginning to churn in anxiety. When they pulled into a parking spot, Rachel slowly unbuckled her belt before turning to look at him.

"H-have I done something to upset you, Noah?" Her words were whispered, afraid if she spoke too loudly he'd end up lashing out at her. Puck was difficult to gage at times and she wasn't sure about how her question would be perceived.

"What?" Puck asked, gaze finally turning to look at her in confusion. Gripping her hands together, Rachel met his gaze.

"I do not know what I could have possibly done to upset you, as you were fine last night when you came over after work. But I would rather you be honest with me and tell me, so that I can fix it rather than stewing silently." Rachel said, not willing to back down. If she'd pissed him off, then he should have the decency to tell her how or why, as she wouldn't hesitate to do the same.

"Babe, what are you talkin' bout? I'm not mad at you." Puck shook his head, thinking his girl had finally gone crazy. Brow furrowing, Rachel looked over at him with a confused frown.

"Then why are you in such a foul temper and refuse to speak with me?" Sighing, Puck leaned his head back against his headrest.

"Sorry, Rach, I was just annoyed. Didn't mean to take it out on you." Pulling her closer to him, Puck bent his head to capture her lips in a deep kiss to show how sorry he was. When they pulled away, Rachel gave a little smile before getting serious.

"If you're not angry with me, then what is the matter? You can tell me." Giving her a worried look, Puck debated about being honest or not. But he knew she'd find out eventually, as she always does, so he sighed and pulled his phone out.

"Don't freak out on me, okay? I only responded once and that was to tell her to leave me the fuck alone." At her confused look, Puck flicked the phone open and showed her the text messages he'd been getting since the night before.

"Oh my God! That bitch!" Rachel screeched, glaring down at the little screen angrily. As she started to move towards the door, Puck quickly reached out to stop her.

"Babe, just let this go. She'll stop in a few days when she sees I'm not interested. And after your little…show with Karofsky, I wouldn't think making another scene is something you want to do. Just let it be and if she doesn't stop, then you can beat her ass, okay?"

He couldn't believe he was actually talking her away from the ledge, but he also didn't want her suspended. Girl had turned into one hell of a spitfire this year and he had no delusions (really? Where does he get this shit?) that she'd beat the crap out of her, her "violence solves nothing" mantra forgotten.

Sighing in irritation, Rachel handed him the phone back and pushed her anger down. If Puck of all people was telling her to calm down, then she really needed to pay attention. It was a little startling to realize how quick she'd been to go from calm to wanting to hit someone, and she blamed it all on Puck's influence. Yep, it was all Puck's fault.

"Fine, you're right. But if she doesn't stop soon, we're going to have an issue." Rachel said more calmly, earning an amused look from her boyfriend before he pulled her to him.

"You're so sexy when you're mad, babe." Puck said huskily, groaning when she slid into his lap and nuzzled his face. He was really starting to enjoy getting to school so damn early.

/*/

By the time Glee came around, Rachel was about to ignore her common sense and punch Quinn Fabray in the face. When the blonde sauntered into the room with a heated look at Puck, Rachel was out of her seat in an instant. The only thing that stopped her projection was the quick thinking of said boyfriend, who's strong arms shot out to catch the small girl.

"Babe, calm down." Puck said, pulling the fuming girl back to her seat. The other glee clubbers' eyes were wide in surprise, glancing between the smirking Quinn and the fuming diva, wondering what in the world was going on.

"All right guys, who has something prepared?" Mr. Schuester asked as he came into the room, completely ignorant of the thick air that surrounded his students. Once she was firmly back in her seat, Puck murmured a quick reassurance before holding his hand up.

"I got something ready." A look of surprise flashed over Will's, and Rachel's, face before he gave a slight nod. Giving his girl a small kiss to hopefully cool her jets, Puck walked over to the band and conversed with them for a few minutes to make sure they knew the song he wanted to do.

"Girl, what in the world was that?" Mercedes asked, leaning over Matt to better see the small girl who was sitting in the front row. Giving her uniform an irritated tug, Rachel turned large brown eyes up to the black diva.

"Quinn has simply been proving herself to be the bitch she's always been." The others were shocked at her cursing, or using it to describe someone, and their eyes shot over to the blonde, who was sitting next to Artie and staring at Puck.

"Girl, what's she doing?" Santana asked, ready to get involved. Quinn used to be her homegirl, but she was tired of having to bow down to her. Now that she was the one in power, Santana didn't want to go back to the way it used to be.

"She has been sending very disrespectful and suggestive texts to Noah, although I haven't the faintest clue as to why. Noah has made it perfectly clear that she's barking up the wrong tree." Rachel said, glaring at the pretty girl.

"Ah Rach, you don't have anything to worry about. Puck's so deep in divaland that there's no way out." Matt said, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly and earning giggles from the other girls and Kurt.

"Don't let him hear you say that, Mathew!" Rachel said as she fought back her own laughter, the thought of his facial reaction to such a statement making it that much more funny. Matt just smiled, glad he'd gotten her to cheer up.

"Okay guys, come on." Mr. Schuester said when he saw Puck was ready, moving to take a seat. The others quieted down as the music started, Puck's and Rachel's eyes locking.

"_Hello again, hello  
Just called to say hello  
I couldn't sleep at all tonight  
And I know it's late  
But I couldn't wait_

Hello, my friend, hello  
Just called to let you know  
I think about you ev'ry night  
When I'm here alone  
And you're there at home, hello

Maybe it's been crazy  
And maybe I'm to blame  
But I put my heart above my head  
We've been through it all  
And you loved me just the same  
And when you're not there  
I just need to hear

Hello, my friend, hello  
It's good to need you so  
It's good to love you like I do  
And to feel this way  
When I hear you say, hello

Hello, my friend, hello  
Just called to let you know  
I think about you ev'ry night  
And I know it's late  
But I couldn't wait  
Hello"

Clapping happily, Rachel beamed at him as he set the guitar aside. Standing, Rachel threw herself at him and gave him a quick kiss before Mr. Schuester cleared his throat to get them to separate.

"Why'd you choose that song?" While Puck's rendition had been marvelous, it was a very short song and he hadn't really expected it.

"Well, it's one of the only songs that can be made into a male solo without too much trouble. Plus, it was the only one done by a Jewish artist." Puck shrugged before sitting back down, an excited girlfriend at his side. He'd never admit he'd sung it because the lyrics matched how he felt about Rachel, even though she clearly understood.

"Oh, well good job. Anyone else have something?" Will asked, not at all surprised when Rachel's hand shot up.

"I do." Giving a tired nod, Will sat back and waited.

Rachel smiled at Puck one more time before moving towards the band to converse with them. She'd practiced during lunch, so they were already up to speed about what they were playing. Turning to Brad, she gave him a small smile as he nodded before getting up and allowing her to take the bench, much to everyone's surprise.

"_Playground school bell rings again.  
Rain clouds come to play again.  
Has no one told you she's not breathing?  
Hello, I'm your mind giving you  
Someone to talk to.  
Hello._

If I smile, and don't believe  
Soon I know I'll wake from this dream  
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken.  
Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide.  
Don't cry.

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping  
Hello, I'm still here.  
All that's left of yesterday."

Everyone was silent for a moment, completely shocked at the performance. There was no flash or amazing high note, which was Rachel's staple, so it was a little unnerving. Once they got over it, all the students (except Quinn) started clapping, amazed at the girl's talent."

"That was awesome babe." Puck said, pulling her into a hug and kiss.

"Thank you, Noah." Rachel beamed before taking her seat, sending a pointed look at Quinn.

"Wow, Rachel, that was…really good. Anyone else ready to go today?"

Receiving no positive responses, Mr. Schuester let them go early, needing to think. Maybe Rachel was right and he should let Puck take lead this week. It wasn't really fair of him to deny it, when he'd been so adamant about everyone being treated equally. Sighing, Will headed to Emma's office.

/*/

(_Wednesday of "Hell-O" week_)

"Okay Quinn, you need to get it through your blonde head that Noah does not want you and I will not let you have him." Rachel said, marching up to the girl before first period. She'd stayed calm over the last few days, but Quinn's continued texts to Puck had finally gone too far and Rachel wanted it to end.

"Afraid he'll realize what a loser he's with, manhands?" Quinn asked snidely, shooting a smirk over her shoulder as she rummaged around in her locker. Rachel had to clench her small fists tightly, as they desperately wanted to meet flesh.

"You can hurl your insults around all you like, Fabray. But it's not going to change the truth, which is that Noah wants to be with _me_ and not you." Giving a small laugh, Quinn shut her locker and turned to face her, noting the crowd they'd started to accumulate.

"Please, he'll grow tired of you before too long. Do you really think _you_ have the ability to keep his attention for much longer?" Quinn gave her a once over, clearly indicating that she didn't think so.

"I've kept his attention for the past three months just fine, thank you very much." Rachel bit out, anger thumping through her body until she was almost shaking with it.

"He'll realize he wants a real woman. And when he does, I'll be there."

"Ha! You're a 'woman'? Really? You look like a spoiled little child to me." Rachel said, shaking her head at Quinn's words, making the blonde bristle.

"I had him once, RuPaul, and I can have again. All I have to do is snap my fingers and he's all mine." Quinn said with a sneer.

"Why would he go to you? All you are to him is a mistake that he never should have made, Fabray. He regrets being with you more than anything else in his life. So I highly doubt he'd just fall over himself to be with you again." Rachel replied with a smirk, her own bitch face coming out.

"Okay ladies, let's move this along." Mrs. Tolts said, coming out of her classroom to see what was the commotion. The two girls glared daggers at each other before heading in different directions, ignoring the people around them.

Rachel was startled when she was suddenly pulled into a supply closet, Puck's large hand flying to her mouth to quiet her scream.

"That was so hot, babe."

/*/

**This is where things have been altered…**

"Girl! We heard about your little speech in the hallway this morning! I can't believe you actually said all that to Quinn!" Mercedes said in excitement as she sat down at the lunch table. The other Gleeks were either already there or in the lunch line, so the table would be full soon.

"Yeah, diva, that was completely unexpected. Although, given your recent actions, I guess we should have seen it coming." Kurt said, flipping his bangs out of his eyes.

"I was simply honest with her. It is not my fault that she deluded herself into thinking Noah would want to get back with her simply because she's Quinn Fabray." Rachel replied with a shrug, glancing around the cafeteria for her missing boyfriend.

"Yeah, but no one has ever stood up to her like that! It was amazing." Mercedes replied as she opened her milk, earning a small smile from the brunette.

"Well thank you for your support. I'm glad that I know I have friends to back me up if need be." Rachel said softly, making the two smile before she was distracted by Puck landing in the empty seat to her right.

"Hey babe." Puck said, giving her a long kiss before turning to his plate of food. He was starving, as their rump in the closet that morning had left him with no reserves of energy. Little diva was positively inhuman in the sack, and he needed to replenish if he wanted to get her alone again. Which he _always_ wanted.

"Good afternoon, Noah." Rachel murmured with a smile, snuggling into his side as she opened her salad container.

"Rachel, I was wondering if maybe…if you'd help me pick out a song to perform?" Tina's quiet voice sounded from across the table, almost too low to hear. Looking up, Rachel met the girl's uncertain eyes with a smile/

"Of course I will, Tina. I'm honored you'd ask for my help. If you have some time after school today, we can go by the public library, as they have a good selection of sheet music to choose from and I'm sure we'll be able to find something."

Tina gave a hesitant smile, still unused to actually being friends with Rachel. After the party she'd been invited to for Rachel's birthday, the Asian girl had tried to make more of an effort to be her friend.

"Thank you, that'd be great." Rachel beamed at her before turning back to her meal and boyfriend, who was pouting about being ignored. He was such a man-child sometimes.

/*/

"Alright, who's ready today?" Mr. Schuester asked when he came into the room. Quinn raised her hand with a superior look on her face, as if she was above everyone and everything.

"Go ahead when you're ready." Will said, his voice softening a little as he addressed the blonde. Poor girl had been through a lot and he was just glad that she was participating.

Quinn sauntered up to the band to discuss her choice before turning back to the audience. She sent a look at Puck, which was ignored, and then glanced over at Finn, not being able to stop herself as the music started.

"_Hello, hello?  
Is anyone home?  
Hello, hello?  
Just pick up the phone_

I opened up my life to you,  
I told you everything I knew,  
You listened so closely to,  
You listened so close when love was just a way out  
But you're going deaf now,  
Yeah you turned your head around,

Hello, hello?  
Is anyone home?  
Hello, hello?  
Just pick up the phone,  
You'll be sorry to hear,  
I'm doing fine now,  
Sorry to hear,  
You're without me now

You blew up the world I built for us,  
Destroyed our secret universe,  
Threw out the trust I, put in you,  
Making me feel like I'd been used,  
And now I'm reminded,  
That I was just blinded,

Hello, hello?  
Is anyone home?  
Hello, hello?  
Just pick up the phone,  
You'll be sorry to hear,  
I'm doing fine now,  
Sorry to hear,  
You're without me now

I'm doing fine,  
You'll be alright,  
Maybe you'll think of me tonight,  
You're doing fine,  
And I'll be alright,  
Just give me time, yeah

Hello, hello?  
Is anyone home?  
Hello, hello?  
Just pick up the phone,  
I don't wanna hear,  
You're doing fine now,  
Don't wanna hear,  
I'm without you now

I'm without you now,  
I'm without you."

"Wow, that was really good Quinn. Anyone else ready?" Will asked, glancing over at his students. There seemed to be a conference between a few of them before Matt, Mike, Santana and Brittany stood and moved to the front, where Artie met them.

"We're ready, Mr. Schue. We hope you enjoy." Artie said with a smile.

"_(San, Britt)_

_Yeah, yeah...  
Yeah, yeah..._

[Mike]  
Hello...  
Good morning... (Let's go, let's ride)  
Hello...  
Good morning...  
Hello!...  
Good morning!...  
Know you been wai-...  
... -tin for it...  
'Cause I seen...  
... you watching  
So let's go...  
Let's get it poppin

[Matt]  
'Cause I been leanin on the bar, lookin cleaner than a star  
These broads won't give me my props  
Twenty-five on the bag, I be stuntin on they ass  
And ya mad cause the bitch won't stop

[All]  
Got your boyfriend feeling like a groupie...  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
Still life but it's lookin like a movie...  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
And ev'rybody know who the truth beee...  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
I blow 'cause I'm blowin on that OOH-WHEE~!  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
Hello

[Artie]  
Hello, good morning, how you doin? We're at the movie  
Of "Welcome to the Future," I'm the Cap'n of the Cool Kids  
The revolution's NEVER been televised  
Great booty, better thighs, I ain't wanna tell her bye  
First I tell her hi, then I give her one and let her fly  
Never tell a lie, tonight you couldn't find a better guy  
King shit, flyer than anyone you get seen with  
Gangsta distinguished, cool as a penguin  
Got a team of 'em on the field, finna bring wit  
G5 waitin, fly away at my convenience  
You seen T.I.P., checkin in a 5-star suite  
With some 5-star freaks, gettin high all week (Let's GO! )  
Catch me in the week, I was up all night when y'all sleep  
In a fast car, superbad broads, back seat  
That's me, see I'm nothin nice, fuck a couple nights  
With the moon say goodbye and the sun greetin us like...

[Mike]  
Hello...  
Good morning... (Let's go, let's ride)  
Hello... (Yeah, c'mon)  
Good morning...  
Hello!...  
Good evening!...  
You blow...  
You feenin...  
'Cause you know...  
... that you really need it  
And I'm the one that you wanna be with  
But right now baby, you dreamin - Wake up and turn the lights off

[Matt]  
'Cause I been leanin on the bar, lookin cleaner than a star  
These broads won't give me my props  
Twenty-five on the bag, I be stuntin on they ass  
And ya mad cause the bitch won't stop

[All]  
Got your boyfriend feeling like a groupie...  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
Still life but it's lookin like a movie...  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
And ev'rybody know who the truth beee...  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
I blow 'cause I'm blowin on that OOH-WHEE~!  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
Hello

[Mike]  
Hello... (Let's go)  
Good morning... (Let's work)  
Hello... (Let's go)  
Good morning... (Let's work)  
Hello...

[Beat changes]

Aiyyo... aiyyo, turn me up a lil' bit more  
I don't think they can hear me  
Check this out... Bad Boy, bitch!  
Let's work... c'mon  
Let's work... non-stop, let's rock  
Make you feel good too, let's work...  
Don't stop I see you, let's work  
It's that Dirty Money

[Artie, rap verse]  
Uh, how fly is he?  
Yo' baby momma (Cry for Me) like Jodeci (let's go)  
So how you not notice me?  
PUll up to the club in the coldest V  
Ugh... literally cold  
Little did he know how that nigga Diddy flow  
... How that nigga Diddy go  
So hard like a crowbar, still gettin dough  
Whoa whoa, whoa... Hahaha (Turn the bass up! )  
Hey, I like this (c'mon, can you feel it?)  
Can you feel it?... Nothin can save ya  
Uh, it's that Dirty Money (Turn the lights on! )

[All]  
Got your boyfriend feeling like a groupie...  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
Still life but it's lookin like a movie...  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
And ev'rybody know who the truth beee...  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
I blow 'cause I'm blowin on that OOH-WHEE~!  
(You know, you know, we know, we on that)  
Hello

[Mike]  
Hello...  
Good morning... (Let's go, let's ride)  
Hello... (Yeah, c'mon)  
Good morning...  
Hello...  
(H-e-l-l-o, h-e-l-l-o, h-e-l-l-o...)  
Hello...  
(H-e-l-l-o, h-e-l-l-o, h-e-l-l-o...)  
Hello...  
(H-e-l-l-o, h-e-l-l-o, h-e-l-l-o...)  
Hello...  
(H-e-l-l-o, h-e-l-l-o, h-e-l-l-o...)"  


The five were panting by the end of their number, but were all grinning, knowing they'd just kicked that song's ass. When the others started applauding, they just grinned wider as they made their way back to their seats.

"Guys…that was…wow. I'm so impressed! Mike, Matt I didn't know you could sing like that." Mr. Schue said, completely surprised. He saw Rachel preened a little at his words and he remembered how she'd admitted to working with the boys

"Thanks! Ray helped us practice!" Brittany said, bouncing on her heels in excitement. They really had been amazing.

"You guys were so good!" Rachel said with a smile, moving to hug her friends.

"Thanks, Rach. We owe it all to you." Matt said, giving her pony tail a little tug. Rachel blushed at their praises, pleased she'd been able to help them.

"Okay everyone, I think we should start practicing our group number. Now…it has come to my attention that I have been…neglecting some of the talent in our midst, so I've decided to shake things up."

Everyone shared looks, with Rachel and Puck hoping it was going where they thought it was. Finn felt his stomach plummet as Mr. Schuester started handing out the sheet music, which turned into a glare of anger when he saw he didn't get the lead.

"Instead of Rachel and Finn getting the leads by default, I've decided to allow others to shine as well. So congratulations, Puck and Santana, you've got the leads this week." Will said, ignoring the surprised look that crossed Rachel's face.

She wanted others to have a shot at the male vocals, so he figured he'd do the same for the females. And if he got a small dose of satisfaction out of it, then that was between him and his conscience.

"Congrats, San, Noah." Rachel said, forcing a smile on her face.

Santana looked shocked, her eyes shooting between the sheet music and Rachel, not sure if the little hellcat was going to lose it or not. Puck wrapped an arm around the small girl's shoulders, knowing she had wanted the lead.

"Sorry, baby." Rachel leaned against him as he murmured into her hair, fighting back her initial response of throwing a fit. She'd wanted others to get a chance in the spotlight, so she should be happy for her friend, despite losing the solo herself.

"Are you okay with this?" Santana asked, knowing how much singing meant to the diva.

"Of course I am, San. You deserve it. Besides, there'll be plenty of solos in the future." Rachel said with a smile, pushing her anger away. Santana _did_ deserve a chance to sing and she wasn't going to stand in the way of that. Besides, it wasn't as if this was Regionals.

"Thanks!" Santana said, pulling her into a quick hug before dashing over to chat happily with Brittany as everyone started moving towards the auditorium.

"You've really changed, babe. I'm proud of you." Puck muttered, pressing a kiss to her hair as they moved out of the choir room. Rachel wrapped an arm around his waist and held on, pleased with herself for not freaking out.

"Thanks. You have too, Noah, and I couldn't be happier." Looking up at him, Rachel gave him a soft smile that had the mohawked boy stopping to give her a passionate kiss. They were forced out of their haze when Finn walked past angrily, shoving Puck aside none too gently.

"He's so pissed." Puck said as they watched the tall teen stride down the hallway, a scowl planted on his face. Rachel shrugged and linked their hands.

"He'll get over it, I'm sure. C'mon, before Mr. Schue takes your solo from you out of spite." The two started back down the hallway, not wanting to give the director any reason to let Finn have the solo back.

/*/

"So, do you have any idea about what you might want to sing?" Rachel asked as her and Tina made their way into the music section of the library.

"Not really." Tina said with a little shrug.

"That's alright; that is what the library is for." Rachel said with a smile as they approached a short shelf that had books of sheet music.

She slid a pile to Tina to look through as she started in on her own. She'd just opened the book of Lionel Richie's greatest hits to read through his "Hello" lyrics when a voice interrupted her.

"Lionel Richie huh? One of my favorites." Lowering the book, Rachel's eyes widened as she took in the boy leaning against the shelf.

"Oh my god. You're Jessie St. James. You're in Vocal Adrenaline." Rachel breathed, shocked that she'd run into him at the Lima library of all places. He went to Carmel, after all, so why he was in Lima was unclear.

"And you're Rachel Berry. I saw you perform at Sectionals. Your rendition of "Don't Rain on my Parade" was flawed. You totally lacked Barbra's emotional depth. But you're talented." Jessie said, taking the book from her hands.

"Excuse me! I was not flawed!" Rachel retorted, glaring at the male singer, highly insulted. Tina watched the two interact in silence, not wanting to interrupt unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Don't be embarrassed. There was a time when I wasn't as amazing as I am now, so you'll get there. This is one of my favorite haunts. I like to come and flip though the celebrity biographies. Pick up some life style tips. I'm a senior now, so this year is kind of my victory lap. Snagging a fourth consecutive national championship would just be gravy." Jessie says arrogantly as he saunters around the shelves.

Rachel would have been enraptured by him, by Jessie St. James, if she'd been more naïve in life. If she hadn't been the target of malicious bullying for the last three years. If she didn't have a smoking hot boyfriend who could bench press Jessie. She shared a look with Tina before following, wondering where this was all going.

"I'm getting out of Ohio soon. I've gotten a full ride to a little school called the University of California Los Angeles. Maybe you've heard of it. It's in Los Angeles."

"Of course I've heard of it. But I'm surprised you're not going to NYADA or TISCH or a school in New York." Rachel said, raising a brow at him. She didn't miss the little flinch that he gave at the sound of NYADA and she wondered what the story behind that was.

"California is where all the stars are now a days." Jessie said with a shrug as he moved over to the piano.

"What do you say we take it for a spin?" He asks with a charming smile, sliding onto the bench without waiting for a reply.

"We're from rival teams, so I don't think it would be appropriate." Rachel said, glancing around at the people milling around.

"C'mon Rachel, live a little." Jessie says as he opens the book to the correct page and began playing the piano. Rachel looked over at Tina, who gave a little shrug, before seating herself beside him on the bench.

When the song was over, Rachel had to fight down the urge to turn to putty. She had a boyfriend who she loved and therefore could not find Jessie attractive! It was just that their voices melded wonderfully together, as if they were meant to sing together. But she already had a musical soulmate, so she pushed the girlie feelings away.

"We should do this more often. How's Friday night?" He asked with that same charming smile, which she'd bet not many girls had been able to resist in the past.

"Sorry, Jessie, but I have a boyfriend and he'd object to such a meeting. As wonderful as this has been, I have to get going." Rachel stood up, missing the shocked look on his face as she made her way back over to Tina.

"Wow, that was…"

"Yeah, C'mon, let's go." Rachel said, pulling the Asian girl out of the library without a backwards look. She just hoped that Noah didn't get too jealous when she told him about this.

/*/

(_Thursday of "Hell-O" week_)

Puck hadn't gotten as jealous as she'd expected, since he'd reasoned that the entire thing was probably a maneuver by the Carmel lead to rattle her. Which, after thinking about it, Rachel had to agree.

It was just too weird that he'd been in Lima at all, but for him to actually show up at the library at the same time as her? That was just too much to be a coincidence. And with him trying to ask her out, it was clear that he'd wanted to get with her to undermine the competition.

Of course, Puck had also said he'd punch the dude's lights out if he hit on her again, which just made Rachel giggle before he was on her. Rachel had study hall, but Puck had completely missed his first period, which Rachel would make certain he got the notes from so as not to get behind.

The rest of the day was really boring, as the only highlight was when Kurt, Mercedes and Tina performed Beyoncé's "Hello". It was a good performance, but the two divas had completely overshadowed the quiet Asian, so it was really more a duet than anything. But Tina seemed content with it, since she hadn't been able to find a song to perform on her own.

They then practiced their group number once more. Rachel was very pleased with how well Puck and Santana were doing, and hoped that Mr. Schue would let Puck sing lead with her for a competition. The sexual chemistry alone would surely nab them first prize.

/*/

(_Friday of "Hell-O" week_)

Rachel was startled from her breakfast by the doorbell ringing, as Puck usually just honked his horn to alert her to his arrival. Setting her spoon down, the short girl quickly made her way to the front door so that whoever it was didn't have to wait too long, seeing as it was a bitterly cold winter morning.

"Quinn? What…" Rachel spluttered, astonished to see the blonde standing on her front porch.

"Listen up Berry, I'm here to clear the air, that's all. I don't like you, probably will never like you, but I kinda feel bad for the way I've been treating you and Puck after what you did for me. I'm not interested in Puck; Couch Sylvester wanted me to rattle your cage so you'd quit Glee and the club wouldn't make it to Regionals with a hope of winning. So there, I don't actually want your boyfriend."

Rachel was gaping at her, but she couldn't seem to pull her mouth closed as she stared dumbfounded at the blonde. She'd never have guessed this was how her morning was going to turn out, that's for sure.

"Oh…well good then, because I'm unwilling to part with him at the moment."

"Whatever. So…truce?" Quinn asked, arching a brow at her from under her cute red hat.

"Uh…sure, I guess." Quinn gave a curt nod before spinning on her heel and making her way back to her car. Rachel just stood there for a few minutes, completely astonished at what had just happened. Had she just agreed to a truce with Quinn Fabray?

Shutting the door, Rachel went back to her breakfast as she thought about how this might change things. She was extremely relieved that she didn't need to keep a constant eye on the pretty girl, as it was getting extremely tiring and bothersome. Plus, Puck would be glad that the annoying texts stopped, so that was also of the good. Maybe things were looking up for the Glee club as a whole.

**AN: Okay, so I hope you like the addition I made. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up as I'm still sick and it seems to be getting worse. Hope you all enjoyed.**

"**Cockiness (I love it)" - Rihanna**

"**Hello Again" – Neil Diamond**

"**Hello" – Evanescence **

"**Hello Hello" – Paramore**

"**Hello, Good Morning" Diddy Dirty Money (ft. T.I.)**

"**Hello" - Beyoncé**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Wow, I can't believe it's been so long. I would apologize and beg for forgiveness, but I just…I've become so disinterested in Glee because of season 4. Well, really, season 3 started the nose dive for me, and this new season has just shoved me off the Glee loving train. Mark Salling has really let himself become a victim of getting older, and it's just so disappointing. So I wrote this chapter for Suzanne, so I'm not sure if I'll continue. I'll have to see where my Puckleberry vibe goes. Sorry if the chapter isn't up to usual par. **

Guest (1): Yes, Finn and Quinn are quite annoying. I really couldn't stand either of their characters on the show. I'm not sure yet exactly where they're headed. Hope you like this chapter.

Kawaiigrlmari: I'm not sure yet where Quinn and Rachel are headed, so I'm not sure if they will stay enemies or not. We'll just have to wait and see if a fight is on the horizons.

BERRY vs LOVE: Thanks so much. Glad you liked the last chapter. I'm really not a Finn or Quinn fan, so I'm not sure if I'll look into their relationship a lot. I dunno. I just don't like either of them so I'm not sure yet where they're headed. But I'll take your suggestion into account, I promise.

Hi: Thanks so much, I'm so happy you liked the chapter. Honesty is a huge part of my own life, so I thought it would be cool to bring it into the story.

Guest (2): Thanks for the review. You know, Sue really never gets into major trouble about her meddling, so I don't see that happening here either. I'm trying to keep most of the characters the same as the show, with them only growing more mature; and since Sue is old, I don't think she'd change at all.

Guest (3): Thanks for the review. I hope you like this chapter as well.

Suzanne: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! So this chapter isn't that great, but I felt really bad about letting the story go for so long. So I hope this made your day a little bit better!

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing related to Glee or any songs used.**

Chapter 14: Sexist Jerks

"You set me up." Turning at Puck's irritated voice, Rachel arched a brow at him as he stomped into the kitchen, where she was washing vegetables for the salad.

"Whatever do you mean, Noah?" She asked, even though she knew that he knew that she knew what he was talking about. But if she just come out and admitted it then that'd defeat the whole purpose, wouldn't it.

"Are you questioning my badassness, babe? Cuz I can so dance circles around the competition's idiots. No need to have Jackie Chan all up in my business." She rolled her eyes at his pouting face, turning the faucet off as he came to slouch against the counter. He really did remind her of an overgrown child sometimes.

"Really, Noah, the more practice one does, the better they become. And a leading man should meet a certain requirement level for performance ability, which includes dancing. We're going to be facing Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals and they're a well fueled machine. To beat them, we need every member to be at their best." Rachel replied before leaning towards him for a light kiss.

"Is Puck being a baby?" Matt questioned as he and Mike came into the kitchen, having cleaned up the basement while their friend went off to pout.

"Yes."

"Hey—"

"Noah, really, it's alright. Everyone deserves to have their more immature moments. Right boys?" Rachel gave him a cheeky grin before pulling out the cutting board.

"Yep." Mike stressed the 'p', dodging the elbow Puck threw towards his middle.

"Alright, if you boys are going to stay in here than you're going to help me. You have no qualms about eating the food, so you can help prepare it. Matt, cut these. Noah, monitor the sauce. Mike, set the table."

The three boys stared at her for a moment, but when her hands landed on her hips and her eyebrows arched, they all dashed to do as they were told, not wanting to be the victims of a Rachel Berry rant. Well, they wouldn't say they 'dashed'. More like they sauntered quickly. Yeah, that was totally manlier.

"So when are daddy Berries coming home?" Puck questioned as he stirred the meat sauce, thinking his girl was kick ass that she let them have real food when they came over. Rachel had her own small pot of meat free sauce, which he made sure wasn't burning.

"They'll be home any minute actually. I'm sure the ice on the roads is slowing them down some. It is important to drive more cautiously in bad weather, as you should know." Rachel replied as she pulled out a loaf of French bread and began cutting it.

The boys knew better than to bring up the fact that they in fact often disregarded such cautions. They'd been hanging around Rachel long enough by now to know that she was easily wound up and could lecture for a solid hour on anything she became passionate about, like proper driving techniques. And they'd had a fun evening at the Berry house and didn't want it to dissolve so quickly.

"Right, sure."

Rachel rolled her eyes at Puck, knowing full well how dangerous he drove on most days. But as she'd promised herself when they'd first gotten together, she wasn't going to try to change him unless his health was in immediate danger. And she knew that he loved himself way too much to risk his life being stupid behind the wheel. Boys.

"Table's set." Mike said as he came back into the kitchen.

"Great. Here." She placed the plate holding the bread to him to put on the table. It was still so strange to her that this had become a normal routine.

At first it was because she was helping the boys on their singing, and she'd always insist they stay for dinner. And since Sunday's were always family night, her fathers would be there and they'd all end up eating dinner together and watching a movie before the boys had to go home. Now it was more about them hanging out together, with practice just a side benefit. And Rachel couldn't have been happier.

If anyone had told her a short 6 months ago that she'd be dating Noah Puckerman and actually be friends with most of the Glee club, she'd have told them to head straight to the hospital for a psych evaluation. Add in Santana and Brittany becoming her best friends and she'd have checked herself into the ward. But she'd certainly never been happier in her life, and the small diva thanked the heavens above for giving her this new life.

"We're home!" Leroy's voice sounded from the front door.

"We're in the kitchen, daddy. Dinner's almost ready." Rachel called out, moving to help Matt finish up the salad.

Hiram and Leroy went into the dining room, knowing they'd only be in the way in the kitchen, as they'd learned quickly. Other fathers might be concerned with their only daughter being home alone with three teenage boys, but they were more relieved she was finally blossoming than worried. Besides, they knew Noah and her were very serious, so they knew there wasn't anything to warrant their concern. Besides, the less they knew about their daughter's private life, the happier they were.

Dinner was quickly brought out and served, the table becoming alive with chatter. Leroy and the boys were soon talking about the game while Rachel and Hiram discussed her idea for a Spring Musical, which she would have to find someone to direct. It was, overall, a normal Sunday evening in the Berry household.

/*/

Things did end up deteriorating, at least for Rachel. After dinner, the guys decided to watch the game her dad had recorded and in the heat of battle, so to speak, the men had turned into sexist jerks.

She knew they probably didn't even realize what they were doing, like when Puck held up an empty soda can and shook it at her for a new one, but it still irritated her. This was not the 1940s and she was not a dutiful housewife.

Even Matt, the usually quiet one, had made a joke about her needing to be in the kitchen to whip them up some dessert, which had riled her hackles.

The diva had thus given them the cold shoulder until they'd left, still unawares of their treatment to the girl. Puck figured something was up when she refused to give him a kiss, but he needed to get home and didn't think too much of it. Besides, she probably just overreacted to something and would be over it in the morning.

/*/

(Monday of "The Power of Madonna" Week)

"Hey, can we meet in the choir room for lunch? I just…I have this problem and I don't know if I'm over reacting or not." Rachel tugged at her jacket as the Cheerios began to filter out of the gym, having been released to begin their "Madonna" transformations.

"What's up, B?" Santana asked as she grabbed her bag.

"I need to know if I've over reacted about something, but we don't have time to talk about it now because we cannot be late for class. I just really need to talk to you about it. So can we meet at lunch?"

"Sure, Ray." Brittany smiled and looped her arms through the diva's, Santana coming up to link pinkies with her other hand.

"Thanks."

Rachel smiled and let herself be led out of the gym, once more thankful she had friends to talk to about things like this. Santana and Brittany would be honest with her and let her know if she was making a big deal out of nothing. Although, she didn't really think her hurt feelings could ever constitute as a 'nothing'.

"I'm so excited about this whole Madonna thing! I can't wait to find a young guy!" Brittany said excitedly, making her two friends share an amused smile.

"While I do agree that Madonna is an amazing performer and a woman to be looked up to for her work, I cannot believe Principal Figgins is allowing her music to be played so loudly throughout the school. Thankfully it's only the beginning of the semester, as I shudder to the think how our test scores would turn out if it was any later in the year. This is certainly not an educational enriching environment."

"Ah, c'mon B, you know you'll be bursting into song halfway through first period. Rachel Berry can never pass up an opportunity to sing." Santana commented, reaching around Brittany to pinch the small girl's side, making her laugh.

"Hey babe. Haven't seen you all morning." The girls saw Puck leaning against the door to the math class, lips stretched in a careless smirk as his eyes trailed from Rachel's legs up to her face.

"Good morning, Noah. I'll see you at lunch." The diva smiled at her two friends before walking into the classroom, a confused mohawked teen left behind.

"Boy I don't know what you did to get that cold freeze but you better fix it before I gots to get involved." Santana said seriously before flipping her hair over her shoulder and sauntering away. Brittany frowned at him before she followed the Latina, not liking that Rachel seemed upset.

Puck just rubbed at his face, wondering what in the hell he'd done to piss his girl off now. Sure, he was a douche sometimes, but he couldn't remember doing anything that had actually upset the diva. They'd had a great time the night before, so he wasn't sure what'd changed in the hours they'd been separated. Girls. They were so damn confusing.

/*/

"So what's up with the glee girls meeting?" Mercedes asked as the three Cheerios walked into the room. Rachel was surprised to see all the others seated, not having expected them.

"We thought you might need some girl talk." Santana explained, seeing the confused expression.

"Oh, um, okay." Rachel mumbled, hands twisting nervously in front of her.

"What's wrong, Rachel?" Tina asked, a little unnerved by the girl's behavior. Rachel Berry did not get nervous about anything. So to see her actually anxious was alarming.

"I…okay, so I may be overreacting, as I do tend to on occasion. But the way they treated me has just stuck in my mind and I just cannot believe that they would—"

"Hang on, diva. Who're you talking about and how'd they treat you?" Mercedes asked, holding her hands up to stop the rant.

"Sorry. Okay, so last night I was at my house with Noah, Michael, and Mathew, as Sundays are our practice days. Mathew and Michael come over so I can help them on their vocals and Noah comes by after work. And Michael is now helping Noah on his dancing, as it is very important for a leading man to be able to keep up with the competition and not rely on vocals alone.

"We always have dinner when my fathers come home from work, as Sundays are family night. But then last night, the guys were watching a game with my dad and they started treated me like…like their waitress or something. Noah even had the audacity to shake his empty soda can at me to ask for a refill.

"Now I understand that men tend to get passionate about sports, but their treatment of me was absolutely abysmal. They've never done such a thing, not even Noah. I felt like I was back in the 1940s and was waiting on them hand and foot. I am not a housewife, nor will I ever be a housewife, so for them to treat me as such is ridiculous and very insulting."

Rachel's voice rose several octaves during her explanation, her face going hot with the remembrance of the men's treatment. Indignation surged through her until fire was almost blazing from her eyes, letting the others know just how much she did not appreciate the behavior.

"Did you slap him, B? Cuz you so shoulda slapped him." Santana said seriously, arms crossing over her chest as she envisioned doing just that to the jackass.

"Of course not, San. Besides my few lapses, you know I do not condone violence to solve one's problems. This is why I brought them to you, so that I could get a different perspective on the matter." Rachel shook her head.

"We just have to accept that guys don't care about our feelings. Like the other day I was walking with Artie and he said he forgave me for lying about my stutter. But then he said that if I wanted to "get all up on this" than I needed a new look because he wants me to wear tighter clothing." Tina said.

"Wow, what a douche. I didn't know Wheels had it in him."

"What Santana is saying is that's got to sting. I'm sorry Tina, Artie had no right to say that. You should be able to dress in any clothing that makes you comfortable." Rachel gave a small smile to the Asian, which was returned.

"Hey, guys. I'm sorry to interrupt your little sorority, but I couldn't help but overhearing. Are you really having that much boy trouble?" Mr. Schuester interrupted them.

"You wouldn't understand, Mr. Schue. You're a guy." Quinn said, speaking for the first time. She might still not like Treasure Trail that much, but she was trying to win back her friends so she figured she would just have to put up with the girl.

"Well, then maybe you should talk to someone else about it. Like Ms. Pillsbury."

"No, she doesn't have anything helpful to say. All she does is get uncomfortable. The fact is, boys are taught to think themselves above girls from infancy and girls are taught to be ladies and to strive to be as good as boys. Even you, Mr. Schue, are guilty of it. You saying we were having a 'little sorority' was extremely sexist." Rachel said as she stood and the bell rang.

"What?" Mr. Schuester gazed after her, not having even realized he'd done that in the first place.

"The fact is that women still earn 70 cents to every dollar that a man does for doing the same job. Rachel's right, that attitude starts long before high school." Quinn said before leaving the Spanish teacher to ponder their words.

"Ray, you should really tell Puck he hurt your feelings. You're just gonna keep thinking about it until it drives you crazy." Brittany said as they moved out of the choir room.

"You mean crazier." Santana said, earning an elbow jab from the diva.

"I am not mentally impaired, Santana. But you're right, Brittany, I should speak with him. I've just been so riled up about it that every time I see him I want to yell, and I know that will not get me anywhere."

"I dunno bout that, chica. You got some dangerous lungs on you. You'd probably make him deaf, which would serve his ass right."

"I don't want to injure him." Rachel giggled at the Latina, who smirked, mission accomplished.

"Well you gotta decide what to do soon, cuz I really don't want this tension to go on too long."

"Puckleberry forever!" Brittany said loudly, punching her fist into the air. Rachel buried her face in her hands and ducked into her dance class, equal parts mortified and amused by her ditz friend. Brittany could certainly make light of any situation, something the brunette was eternally grateful for.

/*/

Thankfully, for Rachel at least, Coach Sue pulled her Cheerios out of fourth period to practice, so she didn't have to speak to Puck in World History. She wasn't exactly sure how Sue was allowed to do it, but she figured the teachers didn't really care since it was so hard to concentrate with Madonna playing over the intercom. Plus no one really wanted to go up against the demonic cheerleading coach.

Puck was still confused as fuck over what he'd done to piss the short spitfire off so badly. He'd had zero macking that day and it was seriously messing with his head. It was as if his brain couldn't function right without his daily dosage of Berry lips. And that didn't make him a fucking pussy. You try getting addicted to the girl and then have her deny you and see how well you do with withdrawal.

He planned to have it out with her during class, but she was pulled out before the bell had even finished ringing, so he was stuck doodling in his notebook. He would've just gotten up and gone to the nurse's, but ever since he'd actually started _trying_ in school, the teachers had taken notice to his comings and goings. Which was so totally not badass.

When she sat down next to him in Glee, he had to admit that he was surprised. She'd been giving him the cold shoulder all day, so he'd expected her to sit as far away from him as possible. Rachel glanced his way before facing forward, teeth nibbling at her lower lip in a show of anxiety; he'd catch her looking at him from the corner of her eye every few seconds. His girl was clearly confused about something or other, as she was giving off completely mixed vibes that were making him slightly dizzy.

Mr. Schuester came into the room from his office and headed for the whiteboard, writing "Madonna" on it before underling the name. Rachel rolled her eyes at it, which Puck caught and arched a brow, making the diva blush before she refocused on the man who could never come up with his own or decent ideas. She still questioned his credentials for directing Glee Club on several occasions, such as now.

"What comes to mind when you see that name?" William questioned, spinning around to regard his students.

"Genius." Rachel spoke up with a smile. He might have stolen the idea from Sue, but there was no deny the power of Madonna.

"Icon." Kurt breathed excitedly.

"Hall of fame MILF." Puck said with a smirk.

"Noah!" Rachel gawked at him, which just made him smirk wide and wiggle his eyebrows. She couldn't stop herself from smiling, his boyish behavior too cute not to react to. Puck did a silent cheer in his head when he saw her lips twitch. Damn straight she couldn't stay mad at him. Have you seen his sexy ass?

"So, we're all aware of Madonna's musical and cultural significance, which is why this week, you're assignment is to come up with a Madonna number."

"Yay!" Rachel clapped excitedly, grinned at Brittany.

"Uh, Mr. Schue? As a dude, Madonna makes me kind of uncomfortable." Puck said, seeing the eye roll his girl sent his way. What? Shit was true.

"Yeah, she's smokin' and everything, but can't some of us do something else? Like the guy version of Madonna? Like, you know, Pantera?" Finn asked, receiving murmurs of agreement from the other guys.

"Guys! You know, it's come to my attention that many of you haven't been treating the young ladies of our group very nicely lately. You're disrespectful, bullying, sexist, and I hate to say it, misogynistic."

"I have no idea what that means." Finn muttered.

"When I pulled my hamstring, I went to a misogynist." Brittany said, earning a head shake from Rachel.

"A misogynist is a man who hates women just because they're women. In this case, it means you're attitudes tend to sway towards being negative to women simply because they're female." Rachel explained.

"What it means is, put yourself in their shoes for a change. Culturally, Madonna's legacy transcends her music, because by and large, the subtext of her songs are about being strong, independent and confident, no matter what your sex. But more than anything, Madonna's musical message is about equality. And that is something I think you guys need to work on." Mr. Schuester went on, earning a nod from the girls as he spoke.

"Mr. Schue, I don't think we can have an honest conversation about Ms. Ciccone without acknowledging that her images are as indelible as her songs. I would like to honor her contributions by tackling a multi-media project with Mercedes." Kurt and Mercedes smiled.

"Great. Go for it, Kurt."

"I'm still not down. And no chick intimidates Puckzilla. I just don't think her music translates to show choir."

"Really, Noah? I couldn't disagree more. If we can meet tomorrow during lunch in the auditorium, the girls will show you just how well Madonna can be put into the show choir repertoire." Rachel stood up and motioned for the girls (and Kurt) to follow her, which they did with only a slight hesitation.

"Uh, sure. No problem, girls." William said, getting smiles from them before they all filtered out of the room, leaving the guys just sitting there.

"I think we're in real trouble." Matt muttered, staring after them.

"Yeah. But fuck if I know what for." Puck sighed, rubbing at his temples again. Why couldn't girls just come out and say what made them mad? He was really beginning to think they just liked torturing men with the silent treatment.

/*/

"Alright, so what's this idea you've got?" Kurt asked as he popped a cucumber into his mouth. All the girls, and Kurt, had gathered at Rachel's house after leaving the school, where they'd spent the last couple of hours doing manicures and facials. But now it was time to get down to business.

"I believe Madonna's "Express Yourself" would be a fantastic number to show exactly what we're saying. They guys are mistreating us and they need to be made aware of it. They also tend to hide their own feelings away, which tends to hurt us as well."

"I love that song." Mercedes said from her spot on the floor.

"Great. Now I was thinking we might do a business look and—"

"I got the perfect thing, Rach." Santana interrupted her, pulling out her phone to show off her idea.

"Please tell me we're not looking at your lingerie." Kurt's eyes had gone wide and his face paled.

"I haven't worn it yet, jeez. But it'd add a sexy element, which the song calls for. We could wear the slacks and blazer, but have this on under the open jacket."

"I think it'd look great." Brittany piped up, earning a smile from her bestie.

"But will we be able to get enough for all of us by lunchtime?" Rachel questioned, still unsure about wearing something so…sexy. Especially not in front of the entire Glee club and Mr. Schuester.

"No probs, B. My nana owns a little boutique where I get all my lingerie." Santana grinned at the flushed girl, delighted she'd gotten her way.

And if they managed to get Puck so wound up that he'd end up apologizing for any and every wrong doing just so Rachel would forgive him, than that was just an awesome bonus. Because, really, the tension going on between them was driving the Latina loco. And Brittany was upset about the Puckleberry fight, which was just uncool.

"Um, alright then. If we're all in agreeance, then that's what we'll wear. Now we should run through the number a few times, just so we know our marks."

Rachel herded them all down to the basement, where Kurt was all too happy to give them critiques and advice on their performance. Just because he wasn't going to be in the performance didn't mean he didn't want to have a hand in how it turned out. He was a diva after all, and all divas needed to be included in all the important things.

/*/

Rachel's face was as red as a tomato when her and Santana left _Cosabella Amore_, all six different colored pieces in hand. Santana had ditched her first period to go with the short girl, knowing she'd be too embarrassed to make it through the fitting. And why she had to be fitted, while everyone else just gave their sizes, Rachel didn't know.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, mine was really tight. I thought we were going looser, since we'll be at school." Rachel voiced as they stowed the bags into Santana's trunk.

"You look sexy, Berry, don't sweat it. Puck won't be able to keep his hands off you." Rachel flushed again at her words, chewing on her lip as she got into the car.

"I really think I just need to talk to him. I mean, I haven't answered any of his calls or texts since Sunday. I'm sure he doesn't even know what he did. It's not like he's the most observant person in the world."

"Girl, you gotta let him know he did wrong and lay it out there for him. He's too dumb to get there on his own."

"Santana! Noah is not dumb and I'm insulted you'd suggest such a thing."

"Chillax, B. Didn't mean nothin' by it. But seriously, the boy hasn't got a clue what you're mad about. You gotta spell it out for them."

"Yes, I think after our number would be a good time for a discussion. My avoiding him isn't doing anyone any favors. And I miss him." Santana rolled her eyes at the last part.

"You miss getting your mack on, you mean."

"I'll have you know that I'm with Noah for more than his kisses, San." Rachel stuck her tongue out at the Latina, making the girl chuckle as she backed out of the parking spot to head towards school. Rachel had been very armament about returning in time for second period, as she only had study hall for the first class.

Santana would've tried to talk her into just skipping till lunch, but knew that argument would only end in her giving up. Rachel Berry really was too much of a goody-goody to skip school for any reason other than an emergency. Or getting high from hash cupcakes. But Santana wasn't going to bring that up; since she wasn't sure the diva even remembered that. And the Latina did not want to get in an argument about drugs with the little devil. No thank you.

"Whateves. I just want you guys to stop moping around. It's giving me a headache." Rachel smiled at her, knowing she really just wanted them to be back together and happy. But Santana would **never** say anything so…mushy. Her and Puck really were just alike.

"I've got some Advil in my purse."

"Haha, Berry, you're so funny." Santana rolled her eyes, which just made Rachel burst into giggles. Mission accomplished.

/*/

"Dude, I think we really did something to piss Rachel off, because she's not talking to any of us." Matt said as he jogged next to Puck and Mike. They were in PE and doing the mile, which the guys thought was stupid since they'd done it just last week. But whatever.

"Yeah, she didn't even say hi this morning in the hallway. I never knew she could be so cold."

"Girl is driving me crazy. We were fine on Sunday, right? I dunno what happened between Sunday and Monday to get her so upset." Puck shook his head.

"Maybe it's hormones." Mike shrugged.

"Yeah, probably." The three shared a look of male camaraderie.

"Girls." They all said together. They'd never understand the opposite sex, no matter what life lessons Mr. Schue tried to shove down their throats. Girls were just too confusing to ever understand.

/*/

Rachel wasn't surprised when she came out of the dressing room and Puck was leaning against the wall, scowl firmly in place with his arms crossed over his chest. She knew she needed to be honest and just tell him how he'd treated her, as it was not fair to her or him to keep the silent treatment going. Besides, she really did miss her Noah, no matter how big of a bonehead he could be.

"Hello, Noah."

"We need to talk. You've been givin' me the cold shoulder for two days now and I still don' know what the hell I did." Puck pushed off from the wall, unwilling to let the small girl walk by him. This shit had gone on too fucking long and he was tired of it.

"You're right, Noah, we do need to talk." Rachel sighed and headed over towards one of the couches backstage that was used for plays, taking a seat with her garment bag laying over her lap as she set her book bag on the floor. Puck followed her over, slumping into the old cushions.

"So are you gonna tell me what's got you so pissed off or what?" Trying not to think about how adorable he looked, pouting like a little boy, Rachel squared her shoulders and met his gaze.

"I realize that you did not realize what you were doing, but that doesn't negate the fact that your treatment of me on Sunday evening hurt my feelings. You, Michael and Mathew all reverted into…Neanderthals while watching the game and your behavior was abhorrent."

"Babe, I have no clue what you're talkin' bout."

"During the game, you boys began treating me as if I was your own personal waitress. I do not appreciate being treated like I'm only around to wait on you hand and foot. And the fact that Mathew and Michael also did so was alarming and very upsetting. I've never once treated you with anything other than respect, Noah, and the fact that you disrespected me so much hurt."

Puck's face was still contorted in confusion, trying to recall what she was talking about. But he really didn't remember anything like that. All he remembered was watching the game with the guys and then going home.

"Babe, I don't remember that. I'm sorry. You know I respect you." He gave her a bashful look, one he knew she had an issue staying mad at. But Rachel wasn't ready to just forgive and forget, as that wouldn't solve the problem.

"Noah, it is your behavior that must be addressed, rather you remember it or not. The fact that you did it while not even realizing it does not bode well for your future attitudes and behaviors towards me and other females. I would have thought being raised by your mother and helping to raise Eli would have taught you better."

"Dude, I no fuckin' clue what you're goin' on about." He threw his hands up, not understanding why she couldn't just paint it straight for him. It wasn't like he was a rocket scientist, fuck.

"I mean that you need to start thinking about just how you're treating women, as your sexist attitude is not going to get you very far, especially not with me. I'm not really sure what triggered this, as you've been remarkable since we've gotten together. Perhaps adding the game with other males is just a bad combination. But if you want our relationship to continue, then you need to reevaluate your beliefs about females." Rachel stood, knowing she needed to get out of there before she just forgave him, knowing he'd learned nothing.

"What do I have to do, baby?" He asked, reaching out to grasp her hand so she couldn't walk away. He might look like a pansy, but he just needed his girl to forgive whatever he'd done so they could get back on track. Because he was seriously going into Berry withdrawal and that shit was messed up.

"Educate yourself, Noah. Learn how difficult it is for us women in this world. Read a book, search online. Do something so that you'll realize how hard it is for us and so you'll appreciate me more. Because I do not like being treated so poorly." She gave his hand a squeeze before moving away, wanting to grab something for lunch before third period.

"Fuck me." Puck groaned and slumped back into the couch, not understanding why his girl was so upset. So he'd made some mistakes. It's not like she hadn't forgiven him for larger infractions (jeez really? infractions?), so he didn't get why she wasn't letting this go.

Knowing the guys would kick his ass if they ever found out, Puck headed towards the library, figuring he better get this shit done before Rachel had any more time to stew. Because if Rachel Berry was allowed enough time, she could get worked up into an impossible to deal with frenzy, no matter how she felt about her target. And he really didn't want to have to do even more back peddling, especially since they'd been rocking together since winter break, if you catch his drift.

/*/

Puck wasn't in biology that day, so Rachel partnered with Santana for their lab, partially grateful and partially worried about why he wasn't there. But she figured missing one class wasn't going to hurt his grade too much, especially not with their teacher being too proud of his recent hard work to hold it against him.

The teachers were more than willing to overlook some missed classes as long as he completed his assignments, as they were all aware he could simply stop trying again. Which would mean they'd failed as educators, and none of them wanted that.

"So what're you gonna do bout Coach's new rule?" Santana questioned as they measured stem lengths.

"If you're speaking about her wanting us to date younger men, than I must say she is going to be disappointed with me. Noah and I may be having some issues at the moment, but that does not mean I am willing to break up with him simply because Coach wants us to be more like Madonna. I think we would do her more justice by taking her teachings to heart and becoming more confident in ourselves." Rachel replied, making her friend roll her eyes.

"Whatevs, diva. So I've decided I'm gonna try to get Finn."

"But I thought your last date with him didn't go well. Besides, I didn't think you even really liked him." Rachel arched a brow at her.

"That's beside the point. I don't want Coach to kick me off the Cheerios just cuz I don't have a younger guy. So I'm gonna take his virginity." Santana revealed with a smirk.

"What? Really? Wow, I uh, if you're sure." Rachel's face showed her confusion, but she just shrugged. Santana was a grown woman and could do what she wanted with who she wanted. Well, except for Puck, because then Rachel would have to kill her bestie. And she really couldn't put her dreams on hold to go to prison.

"Yeah, Britt thinks I'll own him that way. Plus I'm just tired of him being a virgin. It's exhausting." The Latina shook her head.

"Just make sure you're careful." The two girls went back to their work, not wanting to be kept late to finish. No matter how important the short girl thought school and a good education was, she still didn't want to have to be there longer than necessary. Unlike at the start of the year, Rachel Berry actually had a life now and wanted to live it.

/*/

(Wednesday)

"I'd like you all to welcome our two newest members." The Cheerios turned to see Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones, both garbed in uniforms, prancing towards them. Santana reached quickly for Rachel, who's face had gone pale and her eyes wide in shock.

"What?" Rachel's voice was high as she demanded an answer, having not expected this at all. Sure, they'd all helped the two and Sue with the Madonna video the afternoon before, but that didn't mean she'd ever thought they'd be Cheerios.

"I said they're your new teammates. And since you haven't taken the Madonna assignment seriously and are still tied to that mentally challenged piece of meat, they're going to be taking the number for the pep rally." Sue smirked at her before blowing into her whistle shrilly.

Santana and Brittany shared a worried look when their diva just stood there, still in complete shock. She'd already started giving away solos in Glee, and now they were taking away her singing time in the Cheerios too? How was any of this fair? Didn't she give up enough already?

"C'mon, B, let's practice. We don't want Coach to bench us." Santana whispered, glaring at the smirking divas. How they could just come in and steal Rachel's spotlight was just fucking uncool.

"Yeah, Ray, it's only one performance. I'm sure this is to get back at Mr. Schue and she'll get tired of them." Rachel's large doe eyes flicked up to meet Brittany's blue ones, the rational sentence catching her attention.

"Uh…I guess I don't have any say if I wish to remain on the team." She muttered before marching over to her starting position, silently cursing the two all the way. She'd definitely been around Puck and Santana too long, as all the words in her mind were beyond offensive, but she really didn't care. Bitches had stolen her stage, again.

Kurt and Mercedes ignored the three, too thrilled with their new status to care that they'd taken something from Rachel. Sure, they were in the friend zone with the short girl, but that didn't mean they weren't going to go for solos. It wasn't as if she wouldn't do the same. All's fair in love and show biz.

/*/

"Hey babe." Rachel glanced up to see Puck making his way into the choir room, shoulders slouched. When he saw her tear streaked face, Puck hurried to her, back pack falling to the floor as he kneeled in front of her.

"Baby what's wrong? Who do I have to kill?" Her lips trembled as his stared up at him, his hazel eyes deadly serious.

"I-It's stupid."

"If it made you cry, than it's not stupid. Tell me what's wrong." Puck wrapped his large hands around hers, not caring if he looked like a pansy kneeling there in front of her.

"They…M-Mercedes and K-Kurt are Cheerios n-now." She hiccupped, big brown eyes glassy with tears. Puck stood and gathered her in his arms, pulling her onto his lap as he sat down.

"Why're Lady Lips and Wheezy on the Cheerios?" His voice was quiet, not wanting to upset her even more. Rachel buried her face against his neck, trying to calm down. She knew she was overreacting, but it just wasn't fair!

"They w-wanted more solos. S-so they stole mine." Puck rubbed her back soothingly, hating how miserable she sounded. He might not think it was a big deal, but he knew his girl was probably devastated by this latest maneuver by those who were supposed to be her friends.

"I'm sorry baby." Rachel clutched onto him, letting his calm demeanor sooth her until she was only hiccupping, cheeks finally dry.

"I just don't understand why they keep having to take my solos. Haven't I given them enough already?" She picked her head up to look into his eyes.

"Yeah you have. They're just being douches, Rach. You can't let them beat you down, cuz then they win. And you don't let anyone else win for long, right?" When he quirked a brow at her, her lips twitched into a reluctant smile.

"Nothing's ever good enough for them."

"They're just jealous, babe. You know that already. All you can do is outshine them." Taking a deep breath, Rachel sat back so she was sitting on his knees, hands on his shoulders.

"You're right, Noah. I can't simply mope around and whine about their actions. If I want to regain lost ground, then I just have to prove that I'm the best. Which I am." She said firmly, earning a smirk.

"That's right. You're Rachel Berry and won't let anyone or anything keep you from center stage." He winked, making her giggle a little.

"Thank you, Noah. I know we haven't really talked this week, but I appreciate you pulling me out of that very unstarlike funk." She smiled at him, eyes sparkling. It'd really been too long since they'd been alone together with her not thinking about his boorish behavior.

"You're my girl and I'll always be there when you need me." His voice was gruff and Rachel couldn't resist leaning forward for a long denied kiss.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant, Noah. I just couldn't get your behavior out of my head. But it's not right to keep using it against you. I love you and I don't want to be away from you anymore." She whispered. Puck smoothed his hands up her thighs, relishing in their silkiness.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I, uh…I may have talked to my ma' about it and read this book. Well…skimmed this book really, cuz I don't—"

"Noah, you're rambling." She grinned at him, finding him adorable. His cheeks flushed before he rolled his eyes at her.

"Anyway, my ma' set me straight about my 'tude and shit. I'm sorry you felt like that. You're like the girl I respect the most, and I hate that I made you feel like shit." He mumbled, knowing he needed to get the words out even while his inner badass was cringing.

"What book did you skim?" She questioned, fingers working their way into the back of his 'hawk, giving the short hairs a little tug.

"Uh, some femloving book or something. It made me feel like a dick, for sure." Her lips stretched wider at his words, eyes alight with laughter.

"Good. Because if you ever treat me like that again, I won't be responsible for my actions." Puck knew she was serious and was also issuing a challenge, which he was happy to meet. He'd do whatever it took to keep the brunette from getting so worked up in the future, as it was a bitch for him to try and win her back over. Girl better appreciate him as much as she wanted to be appreciated, is all he was saying.

"Course babe, I wouldn't think otherwise. And since I like my balls where they are, I'll try and watch myself." Rachel beamed at him, not letting his crude remark bother her, too excited to be back on good terms with him. Fighting with Noah was really not something she wanted to go through all that often.

"I do think I'd like to read this book that enlightened Noah Puckerman on the mistreatment of women." Rolling his eyes at her, he reached around her for his bag, struggling with it for a moment before he was able to get the book free.

"Here. Have it. I don't want it anymore." Rachel giggled as he shoved it into her hands as if it was on fire, his face contorted as if in pain. Boy was such a drama queen.

""No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women by Estelle Freedman" Wow Noah, I didn't expect you to actually read something like this."

"It was the only thing in the library. Shit's gonna give me nightmares." He shuddered, which just had his girl laughing before she set the book on a chair before looping her arms around his neck.

"Poor baby, what can we do to keep the scary feminists away?" He looked at her hopefully, such the picture of a happy puppy that Rachel had to will herself not to laugh as she brought their mouths together. If she wanted to be treated like an equal, than she would also need to treat Noah as such, and wounding his manly pride would certainly not be a step forward.

"Fuck I've missed you." He mumbled against her lips, hands settling on her hips to bring her flush against him, her center rubbing against him.

"Me too. But we don't have time." She sighed, giving her bottom a wiggle just to get a groan from him.

"We could always skip." He said hopefully.

"Nope. We're already missing part of fourth period for the pep rally." She kissed him again before standing from his lap, smoothing her skirt down as he pouted.

"You're so mean to me, babe."

"I'm sure you'll survive. Now walk me to dance." She held out her hand, which he took after giving a long sigh and stood, grabbing his bag.

"So do you still have that red corset thing?" He questioned as they exited the room, making her blush.

"Maybe." She smiled as he groaned again, waving at Santana and Brittany as they passed by, happy everything was back to normal. The two girls were thrilled when they saw the couple, Brittany giving an excited squeal and having to be held back by the Latina. Things were definitely getting back on track.

/*/

After the pep rally, Mr. Schuester had told the girls they didn't need to go to Glee, as he thought the guys needed a one-on-one practice with him, as he didn't think they were getting the assignment. So the five Cheerios found themselves in the auditorium, Mercedes and Quinn chatting while the other three fooled around on stage. Tina had decided to head home, as she had a math exam the next day and could use the extra prep time.

"I'm so happy you're back with Puck. Lord Tubbington said it would happen today, but I thought he was wrong because it didn't seem possible." Brittany beamed as she spun around the stage, quickly moving into a graceful jump before landing.

"Me too Britt. Me too." Rachel smiled up at the ceiling, as she was laying on her back with her arms behind her head.

"Talkin' bout me?" Head jerking up, she saw Puck, Mike, and Matt making their way onto the stage. Puck reached down to help her up off the ground, pulling her into a deep kiss that had her head spinning.

"Get a room!" Santana called out, breaking the couple a part.

"That's the plan." Puck retorted with a smirk, which just had Rachel blushing and elbowing him in the side.

"Hey Rach, we uh, we wanted to say sorry about how we treated you on Sunday. We didn't even realize what we were doing." Mike said, him and Matt both looking timid as they stared down at the ground. Rachel broke away from Puck to throw herself at the two, thankful they had quick reflexes and kept her from going through them and hitting the floor.

"Just don't do it again." She muttered, earning nods of agreement before she pulled away with a bright smile.

"Yay! Everyone's happy!" Brittany cheered, twirling around them, pulling Mike into a two-step to everyone's amusement. Santana and Matt soon joined them, pulling the other two in as well, until they were all laughing.

It was great that they'd moved past the boy's sexist attitudes and gotten back to normal. Now all she needed to do was prove she was the best and get Coach Sue to kick Kurt and Mercedes off the Cheerios and her life would be back to perfect.

**AN: Okay, it was totally way short but I this chapter was a bitch to write. I was all into it when I first outlined it, as I have a Women's Studies minor, but I just couldn't get into it. So sorry if it sucked. We'll just have to see if I can get back into the Puckleberry bubble while keeping up with my other stories. So REVIEW and let me know what you think about this.**


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